Japan scraps U.S. meeting after Washington demands more defense spending: report
FILE PHOTO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gives his opening speech at the beginning of the meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at his office in Tokyo. March 30, 2025. Stanislav Kogiku/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Japan has canceled a regular high-level meeting with its key ally the United States after the Trump administration demanded it spend more on defense, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had been expected to meet Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in Washington on July 1 for the annual 2+2 security talks.
But Tokyo scrapped the meeting after the U.S. asked Japan to boost defense spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product, higher than an earlier request of 3%, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday that President Donald Trump's government was demanding that its Asian allies, including Japan, spend 5% of GDP on defense.
A U.S. official who asked not to be identified told Reuters that Japan had "postponed" the talks in a decision made several weeks ago. The official did not cite a reason. A non-government source familiar with the issue said he had also heard Japan had pulled out of the meeting but not the reason for it doing so.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said she had no comment on the FT report when asked about it at regular briefing. The Pentagon also had no immediate comment.
Japan's embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. The nation's foreign and defense ministries and the Prime Minister's Office did not answer phone calls seeking comment outside business hours on Saturday.
The FT said the higher spending demand was made in recent weeks by Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, who has also recently upset another key U.S. ally in the Indo-Pacific by launching a review of a project to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
In March, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that other nations do not decide Japan's defense budget after Colby, in his nomination hearing to be under secretary of defense for policy, called for Tokyo to spend more to counter China.
Japan and other U.S. allies have been engaged in difficult trade talks with the United States over President Donald Trump's worldwide tariff offensive.
The FT said the decision to cancel the July 1 meeting was also related to Japan's July 20 upper house elections, expected to be a major test for Ishiba's minority coalition government.
Japan's move on the 2+2 comes ahead of a meeting of the U.S.-led NATO alliance in Europe next week, at which Trump is expected to press his demand that European allies boost their defense spending to 5% of GDP.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
an hour ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan avoids declaring support for US strike on Iran
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has refrained from saying whether he supports the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. © Kyodo RYO NAKAMURA, RIEKO MIKI and JUNNOSUKE KOBARA TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has stopped short of expressing outright support for the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear program, as Tokyo finds itself treading a narrow line over its commitment to the rule of law. Asked by reporters on Monday whether he supported the U.S. bombing of Iran, Ishiba said: "It is difficult for Japan to make a definitive legal evaluation at this point."
Nikkei Asia
2 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan's Ishiba vows strong economy, facing tough July upper house election
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gives a press conference following the end of a 150-day regular parliamentary session on Monday. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai) TAMAYO MUTO TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has resolved to revive the ruling coalition's sliding fortunes before an upper house election that is less than a month away, following an electoral rout in a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly poll on Sunday. Ishiba, who has led a minority government since October and has struggled with a sagging support rate, put the economy at the center of his agenda.
Kyodo News
3 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Japan PM aims to retain upper house majority after July poll
KYODO NEWS - 7 minutes ago - 00:06 | All, Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that his goal for next month's national election is for the ruling coalition to retain its majority in the House of Councillors. The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, currently control the 248-member upper house. With 125 seats contested this time -- half of the 248 seats in the chamber and one to fill a vacancy, the ruling camp must win 50 seats to clear the majority threshold. Upper house members serve six-year terms. As political parties prepare to launch full-fledged election campaigns, Ishiba said at issue is how to address the rising cost of living amid inflation and surging rice prices. The election will be a critical test for Ishiba, who has been leading a minority government since the ruling coalition lost its majority in the more powerful House of Representatives last October. "I will give my all to securing the majority of upper house seats in total, including those uncontested this time," Ishiba said. The LDP, headed by Ishiba, plans to distribute cash handouts to struggling households in line with its campaign pledges, a move criticized by opposition lawmakers. During the press conference, Ishiba again dismissed the idea of cutting the consumption tax rate to help households, saying that an alternative funding source must first be secured before implementing any such reduction. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, for instance, is promising to suspend the tax rate on food items, currently at 8 percent, for one year. Besides rising prices for everyday goods, U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy is threatening to hurt the export-reliant Japanese economy. Ishiba said he will devote himself to the ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States, underscoring the need to realize "win-win" relations through the talks. He and Trump failed to reach a deal last week when they met in person on the fringes of the Group of Seven summit in Canada. "As I've said before, we will not let our focus on reaching an early deal come at the expense of our national interests," the prime minister said. Asked if he would consider dissolving the lower house for a snap election or inviting another party to join the ruling camp to smooth the way for a stable government, Ishiba declined to comment directly. But the premier pointed to high hurdles for any party to take part in the current coalition. "It's out of the question to form a coalition based on one agreeable item," he said, adding that they should be on the same page on "every policy." Related coverage: FOCUS: Tokyo rebuke puts Ishiba at risk in national election Most Japanese worried about Mideast war's impact on daily lives: poll LDP wins record-low seats in Tokyo assembly race, in blow to PM
