Hegseth announces plan for US command upgrades in Japan to deter China

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Sunday a plan to upgrade the U.S. military command in Japan, a country he described as indispensable in combating Chinese aggression.

"We share a warrior ethos that defines our forces," Hegseth told Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in Tokyo, adding that Japan is "our indispensable partner" in "deterring communist Chinese military aggression," including across the Taiwan Strait.

Hegseth said Japan is a "cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific" and that the Trump administration would continue to work closely with the Asian country.

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