DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2017 — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spoke by phone with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera on the evening of Sept. 14 following the latest North Korean missile launch, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning said in a readout yesterday.
The defense secretary reassured his Japanese counterpart of America's unwavering commitment to the defense of Japan and the broader security of the region, Manning said. Mattis and Onodera agreed that the North Korean provocation called for a strong demonstration of a unified front between the United States, Japan and South Korea, the colonel said, and they agreed on the importance of robust trilateral defense cooperation between the three nations.