Press Releases
Foreign Minister Kamikawa received a courtesy call by Admiral John C. Aquilino, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
September 27, 2023
On September 27, 2023, commencing at 3:30 pm, for approximately 30 minutes, Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, received a courtesy call from Admiral John C. Aquilino, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, during his visit to Japan. The overview of the courtesy call is as follows:
- At the outset, Foreign Minister Kamikawa welcomed the visit of Admiral Aquilino, and expressed her gratitude for the contribution of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. force in Japan, which play a significant role in maintaining peace and stability in this region, as the security environment surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe. She also stated that the Japan-U.S. Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region, and under the current situation, to enhance a free and open international order based on the rule of law, the importance of the Alliance has never been greater. She then mentioned that Japan would like to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. Alliance.
- In response, Admiral Aquilino stated that the importance of the Japan-U.S. Alliance has never been higher than ever amidst an increasingly severe security environment, and they also stated that they would like to demonstrate the unwavering U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific region to achieve a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific."
- The two sides exchanged their views about the Japan-U.S. security cooperation and the regional security environment. They exchanged their views on the recent situation surrounding North Korea including the recent Russia - North Korea Summit. They expressed serious concerns over North Korea’s intensified nuclear and missile activities and reaffirmed that they will continue to work closely together between Japan and the U.S. as well as among Japan, the U.S. and the ROK in addressing the issues regarding North Korea. They then shared serious concerns about China's unilateral change to the status quo by force and such attempts.
- They reconfirmed the commitment to steadily implement the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan, which includes the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Futenma to Henoko, from the perspective of mitigating the impact on local communities such as Okinawa, while advancing the above efforts. Foreign Minister Kamikawa stated that in order to ensure the stable presence of U.S. forces in Japan, it is important to gain the understanding and support of local residents regarding the presence of U.S. forces, and we will work closely together for an appropriate response to incidents and accidents and the safe operation of the U.S. forces with consideration to the local communities.