イラン、北朝鮮情勢を協議　エスパー氏、自衛隊派遣に謝意―日米防衛相会談

　【ワシントン時事】訪米中の河野太郎防衛相は１４日、国防総省でエスパー国防長官と会談し、緊迫が続くイラン情勢や北朝鮮問題などについて協議した。１９日に日米安全保障条約改定６０年を控え、両国が今後も緊密に連携し、同盟強化に取り組む方針を確認した。
　会談後の共同記者会見で、エスパー氏は中東情勢について「アデン湾とオマーン湾、アラビア海に自衛隊を派遣する日本の決定に感謝する」と表明。河野氏は「日本は緊張緩和と地域安定化に向け、粘り強く外交努力を継続する」と述べた。（2020/01/15-08:31）

Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper discussed the situations in Iran and North Korea when they met at the Pentagon on Tuesday.
   The two defense chiefs also reaffirmed, ahead of the 60th anniversary Sunday of the 1960 revision to the Japan-U.S. security treaty, that the two countries will continue to work closely to strengthen the bilateral alliance.
   At a joint press conference after the meeting, Esper thanked Kono for "Japan's decision to deploy its Self-Defense Force assets to the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea," referring to the planned dispatch of a Japanese SDF unit to the Middle East aimed at ensuring sea lane safety in the region.
   Kono pledged that Tokyo will "make persistent diplomatic efforts to ease the tension and stabilize the situation" in the Middle East.
   Esper also said the Japan-U.S. alliance "experienced a remarkable evolution over the past 60 years" and the bilateral relationship will "continue to be critical to our collective security and regional stability."