TOKYO: The Japanese and US defense chiefs agreed in Tokyo on Monday to accelerate working group talks to establish cooperative ties between proposed commands for the two allies’ forces at an early date.

Japanese Defense Minister KIHARA Minoru and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also affirmed cooperation in effectively managing counterattack capabilities of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the US forces in the East Asian country, strengthening the defense system on the Nansei Islands, southwestern Japan, and promoting joint exercises.

Kihara and Austin had their talks at the Defense Ministry after Japan and the United States held a “two-plus-two” meeting of their foreign and defense heads in the Japanese capital on Sunday. At the meeting, the US side said the US Forces Japan will be upgraded to a joint forces headquarters for better communication with the SDF’s joint operations command to be set up next spring.

Austin told Kihara that Washington is discussing to what extent the headquarters will be empowered.

JIJI Press