LIVE: Press conference with Secretary Hegseth and Defense Minister Nakatani, from Tokyo

Secretary Hegseth: The Defense Department has started Phase 1 of upgrading U.S. Forces Japan, to a Joint Force Headquarters. This upgrade will improve our ability to coordinate operations with Japan's own Joint Operations Command.

Secretary Hegseth: Soon we will add additional personnel in Tokyo, and at U.S. Forces Japan Headquarters, to conduct activities that will strengthen our bilateral bonds, and deepen our operational cooperation. This also means reorganizing U.S. Forces Japan into a war fighting headquarters, increasing it's staff, and giving it's commander the authorities needed to accomplish new missions

Secretary Hegseth: Our cooperation, our exercises; every aspect of this relationship [United States and Japan] should draw stronger and more robust, and that makes it more likely that we're able to deter, which makes it more likely that we have peace, which is certainly what President Trump wants, what I want, what the American people want, and what this alliance is built on.