Japan-United States of America Relations
Japan-U.S. Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
February 14, 2026
On February 14, commencing at 2:10 p.m local time (10:10 p.m. on February 14, Japan time) for approximately 30 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, during his visit to Munich, Germany for attending the Munich Security Conference, held a Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with the Honorable Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States of America. The overview of the meeting is as follows:
- At the outset, Minister MOTEGI stated that this year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America and the 10th anniversary since a Free and Open Indo-Pacific was put forward for the first time. He expressed his desire to work closely together to forge a new chapter in the history of the Japan-U.S. Alliance.
- They held a candid exchange of views on common challenges across a wide range of fields, including diplomacy, security, and economy. In this context, they concurred on advancing concrete security cooperation to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. Alliance. Furthermore, Minister MOTEGI commended Secretary Rubio for his leadership in hosting the Critical Minerals Ministerial, and they also reaffirmed their commitment to further advancing initiatives in the field of economic security, including critical minerals and rare earths while implementing the agreement on tariffs between Japan and the United States.
- They affirmed their commitment to advancing coordination among like-minded countries, such as Japan-U.S.-ROK, Japan-U.S.-Philippines, and Japan- Australia-India- U.S., towards the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
- They also exchanged a broad range of views on regional affairs, such as issues related to China and their policies toward North Korea, including on the nuclear and missile issues and the abductions issue. In this context, Secretary of State Rubio reiterated the United States’ unwavering commitment to the Japan-U.S. Alliance.
- They concurred to work closely together to ensure that the visit of Ms. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, to the United States, which is currently coordinated for this spring, will be another opportunity to demonstrate the unwavering Japan-U.S. Alliance.