Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi confirmed that Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan security treaty, which stipulates U.S. defence obligations to Japan, covers the Senkaku Islands, Jiji said. The islets are known as the Diaoyu in China.
New U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, during his first phone call with his Japanese counterpart, reaffirmed America's commitment to Tokyo to defending a group of East China Sea islets claimed by both Japan and China, the Pentagon said.
The disputed Senkaku islands, also known in China as the Diaoyu Dao islands, are considered Chinese territory by Beijing. After World War II, they were taken under US.
New US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, during his first phone call with his Japanese counterpart, reaffirmed America's commitment to Tokyo to defendin.
While neither statement mentioned China or North Korea by name, both said new defense secretary addressed a broad range of defense and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region.