U.S. and Japanese Defense Chiefs Hold 40-Minute Call, Criticize CCP for Undermining Regional Peace

Image: Republic of China Air Force F-16V fighter jets monitoring Chinese attack drones. (Provided by the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China /Dajiyuan)

[People News] Amid security concerns triggered by recent Chinese military actions, the defense ministers of the United States and Japan held a telephone conversation in the early hours of the 12th.

Japan’s Minister of Defense, Shinjiro Koizumi, said on December 12 that during a 40-minute discussion with U.S. Secretary of War Hegseth, both sides expressed serious concern over the actions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) military and unanimously agreed that the CCP has made no contribution to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to a report by The Dajiyuan, Japan’s Ministry of Defense issued a statement saying that the two defense chiefs discussed the December 6 radar incident as well as the region’s “increasingly severe security situation” during the call.

Koizumi told reporters that the radar incident that occurred last Saturday in international waters near Japan’s southernmost Okinawa Prefecture involved a major problem: a CCP J-15 fighter jet used radar to lock onto Japanese aircraft twice, one of which involved locking onto a Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 fighter jet for about 30 minutes.

Such actions are usually regarded as hostile behavior, because they indicate that the next step could be the launch of weapons.

In the record of the U.S.–Japan defense chiefs’ call released by Japan’s Ministry of Defense, it stated that both ministers expressed serious concern that China’s (the CCP’s) actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability, and that any actions that escalate regional tensions are deeply unsettling. Japan will continue to maintain a high level of vigilance in surrounding waters and respond calmly and decisively to any contingencies.

A statement released by the Pentagon noted that the two sides also discussed CCP military activities, as well as the importance of conducting realistic training and military exercises throughout Japan, including the southwestern island chain. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.–Japan alliance and emphasized their commitment to deterring aggression in the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan’s Ministry of Defense emphasized that the two defense chiefs agreed to maintain close communication and plan to hold an in-person meeting early next year. △