Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi

The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu in Munich to discuss opportunities for cooperating economically, strengthening deterrence, and expanding security cooperation.  The Secretary and the Foreign Minister reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Japan Alliance and their commitment to advancing collaboration in the new Golden Age of the bilateral relationship, reflecting the spirit of President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s summit on October 28 in Tokyo.

The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed China’s recent coercive economic actions, and Secretary Rubio underscored the United States’ ironclad commitment to Japan.  They concurred on the necessity of modernizing bilateral economic and security cooperation to counter non-market economic practices and coercive diplomacy, ensuring that neither nation becomes vulnerable to strategic dependencies.

Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Motegi also reinforced the critical importance of U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation in maintaining regional stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific.