The Mainichi:

The defense ministers of Japan, the United States and Australia are scheduled to hold a trilateral meeting in Hawaii on Saturday, with the countries keeping a wary eye on China’s growing maritime assertiveness in the region.

Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told a press conference on Friday that he is set to meet with his U.S. and Australian counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Richard Marles. Hamada is slated to return to Japan from Hawaii on Sunday.

Hamada said Japan, the United States and Australia are expected to confirm that they will “continue to strengthen defense cooperation toward peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The defense chiefs of the three nations last held in-person talks in Singapore in June on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. Hamada, who assumed his post in August, will be attending such a trilateral meeting for the first time.

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