Japan and U.S. defense chiefs agree Tokyo-Seoul intel pact is vital
Defense Minister Taro Kono and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper have agreed that military cooperation between Japan and South Korea is vital for regional security, as their bilateral intelligence-sharing pact is set to expire Saturday, according to a Defense Ministry official. They met in Bangkok ...
With eye on China, Tokyo seeks stronger Japan-ASEAN defense cooperation
With the rise of China in mind, Defense Minister Taro Kono on Sunday called for strengthening defense cooperation between the country and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. At a meeting in Bangkok with counterparts from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ...
Japan and South Korean defense chiefs eye first talks for a year, with GSOMIA pact high on agenda
If the meeting takes place, it will be the first between defense ministers of the two countries since October last year amid frayed bilateral ties.
Defense Minister Taro Kono apologizes for 'rain man' joke as Japan reels from typhoons
Defense Minister Taro Kono apologized Tuesday for joking about his "rain man" moniker at a time when Japan is reeling from the impact of multiple typhoons in recent months. "I would like to apologize to all those to whom I caused offense," he told an ...
U.S. conducts parachute drill at Okinawa base, defying Japan's call to honor 1996 deal
The U.S. military conducted parachute training at its Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture on Tuesday despite the Japanese government's call for the exercise to be canceled. The parachute training, which was carried out from 6:40 p.m., was the fourth of its kind at the ...
Defense chief Taro Kono briefs Australia on possible SDF mission in Middle East
Defense Minister Taro Kono on Friday explained via telephone to his Australian counterpart, Linda Reynolds, Japan's possible dispatch of Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to the Middle East for securing sea lane safety. Australia has pledged to send patrol planes and vessels to join a U.S.-led ...
Government to put Japanese family names first when using Roman alphabet from Jan. 1
The government will write family names first when using the Roman alphabet for Japanese names on official documents from Jan. 1, the education minister said Friday. Respective ministries and agencies will notify related industries in the private sector of the government's decision, which breaks from ...
Taro Kono: A different kind of defense minister
For the first time ever, the Defense Ministery is headed by a prime minister-ready politician.
Defense Minister Taro Kono agreed with the commander of U.S. forces in Japan on Monday to beef up bilateral cooperation in dealing with North Korea's missile development. Kono and Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider exchanged views following North Korea's test-firing on Wednesday of what Pyongyang calls ...
Tokyo ready to share info on North Korea missile with Seoul despite row
Japan is ready to share, as requested by South Korea, information related to the launch a day earlier of what North Korea claims to have been a submarine-launched ballistic missile, government sources said Thursday. The decision is based on an intelligence-sharing pact that is set ...
Defense Minister Taro Kono conveys concerns to Iranian counterpart over rising tensions
Defense Minister Taro Kono spoke by phone Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart, Amir Hatami, conveying to him Japan's concerns over rising tensions in the Middle East. "80 percent of Japan's crude oil imports come through the Strait of Hormuz. The stability of the region is ...
South Korean military flies planes near disputed islands in Sea of Japan
The South Korean Air Force flew fighter jets and other planes near Takeshima, a group of disputed islets off Shimane Prefecture, on Tuesday as part of a ceremony marking South Korea's Armed Forces Day. The air force conducted a demonstration of an airspace defense mission, ...
