On the Day North Korea Fired Projectiles and Japan Issued Evacuation Orders... US Defense Visits Japan

US Department of Defense: "South Korea and Japan Deeply Cooperate to Counter North Korea's Nuclear and Missile Threats"

On the 31st, as North Korea launched an object it claims to be a space launch vehicle, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Japan as the first stop on his tour of the Indo-Pacific region.

Secretary Austin announced his arrival in Japan on his Twitter account, stating, "I have come here to emphasize the historic progress in strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance," and added, "We are achieving results for a stronger and safer future, and the alliance is stronger than ever." He then posted videos and photos on Twitter showing him visiting the U.S. military base in Iwakuni and meeting with soldiers.

Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense. Photo by Secretary Austin's Twitter account

Secretary Austin is scheduled to meet with Japanese Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu and senior officials in Japan, as well as visit U.S. forces stationed in Japan.

The U.S. Department of Defense issued a press release regarding this tour, stating, "Since Secretary Austin's visit to Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue (Asia Security Conference) last June, the United States has achieved groundbreaking progress in peace, stability, and deterrence for a free and open Indo-Pacific." It also highlighted efforts to strengthen security cooperation with allies and partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region, citing enhanced military cooperation between South Korea and Japan as a key achievement.

The U.S. Department of Defense emphasized, "In response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, South Korea and Japan are cooperating more deeply than ever through trilateral ballistic missile defense, anti-submarine warfare exercises, enhanced interoperability, and expanded intelligence sharing among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan."

Secretary Austin's visit to Japan drew attention as it occurred just hours after North Korea launched an object it claims to be a space launch vehicle and the Japanese government issued an emergency evacuation order in Okinawa Prefecture. The emergency evacuation order was issued around 6:30 a.m., and only four hours later, flight tracking services detected the flight path of the U.S. Department of Defense E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the "Doomsday Plane," believed to be carrying Secretary Austin, within Japanese airspace.

After his visit to Japan, Secretary Austin is scheduled to travel to Singapore from July 2 to 4 to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a British private security research organization.