US defense secretary in Japan to discuss regional security as US military pauses Osprey flights

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is in Japan on Tuesday to meet with Japanese officials and reaffirm the importance of their alliance and the U.S. commitment to regional security as threats rise from China and North Korea.

Austin’s visit also comes amid growing concerns over the safety of Osprey military aircraft, which have been grounded in the United States following a near-crash at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico last month. The incident, caused by weakened metal components, was similar to a fatal crash off southwestern Japan last year.

The U.S. measure has not affected Ospreys operated by Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force. Japanese officials are discussing the issue with the U.S. military and will “respond appropriately,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters Tuesday.

Austin is scheduled to hold separate talks with his Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba later Tuesday, according to Japanese officials.

Nakatani told reporters that cooperation between Japan and the U.S., as well as with South Korea and other partners, is important as tensions escalate in the region.

The trilateral partnership between Japan, the U.S. and South Korea has significantly strengthened under President Joe Biden’s administration but faces new uncertainty amid ongoing political unrest in South Korea.

On Monday, Austin greeted crew members of the USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered flagship aircraft carrier docked at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, near Tokyo.

Austin stressed the importance of U.S. cooperation with allies and partners in the region as he singled out China as the only country in the world with the intent and capability to change the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

“We want to see this region remain open to freedom of navigation and the ability to fly the skies in international airways,” Austin was quoted as saying on the defense department’s website.

“We will work with allies and partners to ensure we can do just that,” he added.

The U.S. carrier, which is under maintenance in Yokosuka, will carry the advanced F-35C stealth combat aircraft squadron currently based in the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Yamaguchi.