Japan is seeking to create a more self-sufficient military as a deterrence against China’s increasingly assertive military activity in the region, and has concentrated on defense buildup on its southwestern islands. Japan also has concerns about the rising tensions caused by North Korea and Russia.

A three-star general serving on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff has been pushed out of his position following months of sustained tensions with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to people familiar with the matter.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth will reportedly announce a massive overhaul to how America provides weapons to allies around the world, sources with knowledge of the matter told Politico on Wednesday. Hegseth will reportedly announce that the office responsible for arms sales,

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived in Hawaii Monday morning. This is the first leg on Hegseth’s trip, which will take him to Japan next, then Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is set to hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi in Tokyo on Wednesday, as Japan strives to fortify its defence posture and strengthen its decades-old alliance with the United States.

The mid-October memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would “throttle” communication between the committee and the Pentagon, said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces panel.