US-Japan Alliance Critical to Deterring Chinese Military, Hegseth Says

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said he welcomes Japan’s commitment to increase defense spending.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth attends a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, after a meeting of NATO defence ministers at the alliance's headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 15, 2025. Yves Herman/Reuters

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Oct. 29 during a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, that the U.S.–Japan alliance is critical to deterring “Chinese military aggression.”

The two defense ministers held talks in Tokyo just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, during which both countries signed an agreement to implement a “New Golden Age” for the U.S.–Japan alliance and secure rare earth metals and critical minerals.