On Monday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry welcomed the support of the U.S. and Japan for peace in the Taiwan Strait. This was in response to statements made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani during a joint press conference in Tokyo on Sunday.
Hegseth says that the U.S. is dedicated to maintaining a robust, ready, and credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, including the Taiwan Strait. Nakatani also reaffirms that Japan’s position remains unchanged, saying that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are important for Japan's national security and the international community.
Taiwan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry says this marks the first U.S.-Japan defense ministerial meeting since Hegseth took office. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) says the ministry appreciates the continued public declarations of support from like-minded nations regarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in recent years.
The ministry says it will continue to work with like-minded countries to defend democracy and universal values.