January  13, 2026

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command met on Monday local time on the sidelines of the Honolulu Defense Forum in Hawaii, with deepening bilateral defense cooperation in focus, according to media reports on Tuesday. From the related media coverage, while Japanese side highlighted defense ties with Washington, there seems to be no mentioning of China-related remarks from the US side. 

A Chinese expert noted that against the backdrop of strained China-Japan relations, the meeting reveals Japan's intention of leveraging US power to embolden itself and confront China. However, for the US, allowing itself to be "dragged into the fray" by Japan into a direct military confrontation with China runs counter to US national interests.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on Tuesday, Koizumi met with Paparo for about an hour in Hawaii on Monday local time. The Kyodo News Agency said Paparo and Koizumi discussed further enhancing cooperation between their countries' forces.

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