U.S., Japan defense chiefs take note of PLA activities around Taiwan

Tokyo, March 30 (CNA) The defense ministers of the United States and Japan said Sunday they "took note" of military activities by China's People's Liberation Army's (PLA) around Taiwan and reiterated their long-held support for maintaining peace across Taiwan Strait.

In his first trip to Asia since taking office, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was in Japan on Sunday after having visited Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines over the past week.

During his meeting with Japanese counterpart, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, at Japan's Ministry of Defense (MOD), the two sides pledged to enhance their alliance and discussed China's growing military threats, an English-language press release issued by the MOD said.

On China, "the ministers confirmed their opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion including in the East and South China Seas," it said.

"The ministers took note of activities by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) including the military situation around Taiwan, and emphasized the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," it said.

Meanwhile, in a press event held after the 85-minute meeting in Tokyo, Nakatani told reporters that the two "confirmed a resolution to move forward with a sense of urgency" on initiatives to reinforce the alliance's capabilities to deter and respond to aggression.

Hegseth said the United States is committed to sustaining "robust, ready and credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, including across the Taiwan Strait" and that the U.S. stands together with Japan" in the face of aggressive and coercive actions by the Communist Chinese," according to Kyodo News.

On Saturday, the two defense chiefs visited the Pacific island of Iwo Jima to attend a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of a World War II battle there between the Japanese and U.S. forces.