Department of Defense News Service:
Stressing the regional aspect of the threat North Korea poses, Maritime Self-defense Force Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano, the Japanese chief of defense, joined discussions with senior U.S. and South Korean military leaders at the Pentagon Oct. 14.
Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted the meeting, which follows the Military Committee Meeting with South Korean chairman Army Gen. Lee Sun-jin on Oct. 11.
Both South Korea and Japan are treaty allies of the United States — meaning the United States will come to the defense of both countries in the event of aggression.
The trilateral meeting was the third since July 2014 among the senior military leaders and highlights the growing threat of North Korean nuclear and missile technologies.
Navy Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of U.S. Pacific Command; and Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea, participated in the discussion.
