U.S. Defense Chief Backs Higher Japanese Defense Spending

Washington, April 29 (Jiji Press)--U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed support for Japan's plans to increase defense spending in a document submitted ahead of a congressional hearing Wednesday.

"Japan also clearly recognizes the threat environment confronting all of us and has signaled that it will raise defense spending and align investments accordingly," Hegseth said in the document submitted to the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives. "We will continue to urge and work with Tokyo as they do so."

The defense secretary described Israel, South Korea, Poland, Finland and the Baltic countries as "model allies" but did not list Japan as such.

In its National Defense Strategy published in January, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration defined model allies as countries that meet necessary defense spending levels and named only Israel.

The Trump administration is asking allies to raise defense spending to 5 pct of their respective gross domestic product, calling this target a "new global standard for defense spending."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]