U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth unveiled on Sunday a plan to enhance the U.S. military presence in Japan, highlighting the country’s crucial role in countering Chinese hostilities.

“We uphold a shared warrior ethos that characterizes our forces,” remarked Hegseth to Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani during his visit to Tokyo. He emphasized that Japan is “our essential partner” in “deterring military aggression from communist China,” including tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

According to Hegseth, Japan serves as a “foundation of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific,” and the Trump administration remains committed to collaborating closely with the Asian nation.

Pete Hegseth, U.S. secretary of defense, and Gen Nakatani, Japan’s defense minister, attend a joint news conference at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Reuters)

Hegseth and Nakatani agreed to accelerate a plan to jointly produce beyond-visual-range air-to-air AMRAAM missiles and to consider working together on the production of SM-6 surface-to-air defense missiles to support a shortage of munitions, Nakatani said.

The Pentagon chief said he asked Nakatani for greater access to Japan’s strategic southwest islands, along the edge of the contested East China Sea near Taiwan.

In his first official visit to Asia, Hegseth traveled to Japan from the Philippines.

On Saturday, he attended a memorial service on Iwo Jima, the site of fighting between U.S. and Japanese forces 80 years ago.

Reuters contributed to this report.