Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth participates in PT with the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), a U.S. Army Special Forces battalion based in Stuttgart, Germany. (DefSec Hegseth on X)
While in Japan, Hegseth announced a plan to upgrade the U.S. military command in the country, which he described as indispensable in combating Chinese aggression.
HEGSETH SAYS US TO BOOST TIES WITH PHILIPPINES AS DETERRENCE AGAINST CHINA: 'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH'
"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.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, left, gives his opening speech at the beginning of his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Prime Minister's office. (Getty Images)
Last year, then-President Joe Biden's administration announced a major restructuring of the U.S. military command in Japan to deepen coordination with the country's forces, as the two allied countries called China their "greatest strategic challenge."
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The change will place a combined operational commander in Japan, who would be a counterpart to the head of a joint operations command established last week by Japan's Self-Defense Forces.
Fox News' Louis Casiano and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
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