According to Kyodo News, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani held talks with US Defense Secretary Hegseth during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, and the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of cybersecurity.
The two countries agreed to strengthen cybersecurity cooperation after Japan passed the Active Cyber Defense Act, which authorizes law enforcement agencies to take preemptive action against cyber criminals. They also agreed to advance strategic coordination after the United States released a new version of its National Defense Strategy.
This is the second face-to-face meeting between the defense ministers of the two countries since March this year. The two sides discussed the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee (2+2), which is jointly attended by the foreign ministers and defense ministers, and are considering holding the meeting in Washington this summer.
