日米防衛相、３０日に会談　自衛隊・米軍の連携巡り協議

　中谷元防衛相は２５日の記者会見で、ヘグセス米国防長官が来日し、３０日に防衛省で会談すると発表した。陸海空３自衛隊を一元指揮する統合作戦司令部が発足したことを踏まえ、米軍との指揮統制連携の強化を巡り協議する。日本の防衛費増も話題に上る可能性がある。
　ヘグセス氏の来日は就任後初めて。中谷氏は「日本の防衛と自由で開かれたインド太平洋の実現に向けて非常に意義深い」と述べた。（2025/03/25-12:09）

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Tuesday he will meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.
   Nakatani and Hegseth are expected to discuss stronger collaboration between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military, following Monday's launch of the SDF Joint Operations Command, which brings the Ground, Maritime and Air SDFs under a single command.
   The agenda for the meeting may also include an increase in Japan's defense spending.
   The upcoming meeting with Hegseth, who will be visiting Japan for the first time since taking office in January, "will be of great significance for Japan's defense and the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific," Nakatani told a press conference.
   Hegseth is scheduled to visit the Pacific island of Iwoto, also known as Iwojima, to attend a Japan-U.S. joint memorial ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The island was a fierce battleground during the war.