Japan has reportedly cancelled a planned high-level security meeting with the United States after Washington pressed Tokyo to increase its defense spending, according to the Financial Times.
The annual “2+2” talks, originally scheduled for July 1 and meant to bring together U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth with Japanese Foreign and Defence Ministers Takeshi Iwaya and Gen Nakatani, were called off after the Trump administration allegedly raised its demand for Japan’s defence budget to 3.5% of GDP, higher than the previously suggested 3%.
Separately, Nikkei reported that the U.S. is now requesting Asian allies, including Japan, to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP. However, a Japanese foreign ministry official denied any discussion of such figures and suggested the meeting's cancellation may also be linked to scheduling difficulties, particularly due to Hegseth’s involvement in the Middle East crisis.
A U.S. official confirmed that Japan had postponed the meeting weeks earlier but didn’t provide a reason. Neither the State Department nor the Pentagon commented on the report, and Japanese government offices did not respond to media inquiries.
The FT also reported that the increased demand came from Elbridge Colby, a senior Pentagon official, who has also recently stirred tensions with Australia by reassessing a submarine project. Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba previously stated that Japan’s defence budget is a domestic decision, following Colby’s calls for greater Japanese military spending to counter China.
The meeting’s cancellation also comes ahead of Japan’s July 20 upper house elections seen as a key test for Ishiba’s ruling coalition and before a NATO summit, where President Trump is expected to again push for increased defence contributions from European allies.
Uzbekistan’s Uzatom Agency and Russia’s Rosatom signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop radiation processing technologies for medical and agricultural sectors.
Orkhan Nazarli, Head of Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, held separate meetings with senior tax officials from Latvia and Montenegro during the 29th General Assembly of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) in Baku.
The OIC's 51st ministerial session convenes in Istanbul to tackle pressing global and regional issues.
Israel announced on Saturday that it had killed senior Iranian commander Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine Corps of Iran’s Quds Force, in a targeted strike in Qom. Izadi was accused of supporting Hamas before its October 2023 attack on Israel.
Panama's government temporarily suspended certain constitutional rights in the western province of Bocas del Toro after a wave of unrest led to the ransacking of businesses and government offices.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced plans to invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Armenia for the European Political Community (EPC) summit, scheduled for spring 2026 in Yerevan.
Uzbekistan’s Uzatom Agency and Russia’s Rosatom signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop radiation processing technologies for medical and agricultural sectors.
Baku hosted 14th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The delegations were headed by Uzbekistan’s Minister Laziz Kudratov and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov.
Gazprom has signed new agreements with its Chinese partners to support the launch and operation of the cross-border section of the Far Eastern gas export pipeline to China.
Orkhan Nazarli, Head of Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, held separate meetings with senior tax officials from Latvia and Montenegro during the 29th General Assembly of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) in Baku.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
Peace is no longer a dream. It is a discussion. On the streets of Baku and Yerevan, it is also a question, of trust, of foreign interests, and of who truly wants it.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
The 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit was held June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, under Canada’s presidency. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the meeting around priorities of protecting communities, energy and climate security, the digital transition, and future partnerships.
The USS Nimitz is heading to the Middle East amid tensions between Israel and Iran. The U.S. aircraft carrier has a decades-long history in the region, from the 1979 hostage crisis to modern deployments, often serving as a key asset during periods of rising friction with Iran.
Orkhan Nazarli, Head of Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, held separate meetings with senior tax officials from Latvia and Montenegro during the 29th General Assembly of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) in Baku.
The OIC's 51st ministerial session convenes in Istanbul to tackle pressing global and regional issues.
Israel announced on Saturday that it had killed senior Iranian commander Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine Corps of Iran’s Quds Force, in a targeted strike in Qom. Izadi was accused of supporting Hamas before its October 2023 attack on Israel.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is accelerating the development and production of interceptor drones to defend against the growing number of Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia in recent attacks.
Panama's government temporarily suspended certain constitutional rights in the western province of Bocas del Toro after a wave of unrest led to the ransacking of businesses and government offices.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced plans to invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Armenia for the European Political Community (EPC) summit, scheduled for spring 2026 in Yerevan.
Uzbekistan’s Uzatom Agency and Russia’s Rosatom signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop radiation processing technologies for medical and agricultural sectors.
Baku hosted 14th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The delegations were headed by Uzbekistan’s Minister Laziz Kudratov and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov.
Gazprom has signed new agreements with its Chinese partners to support the launch and operation of the cross-border section of the Far Eastern gas export pipeline to China.
Orkhan Nazarli, Head of Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, held separate meetings with senior tax officials from Latvia and Montenegro during the 29th General Assembly of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) in Baku.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment