PRESS RELEASE

---

U.S., Japan Planning 2+2 Meeting of Foreign and Defense Ministers

May 29, 2017 (EIRNS)—Unnamed officials told Japan’s Kyodo news service that Tokyo and Washington are planning a 2+2 meeting, that is, of foreign and defense ministers, sometime in mid-July in Washington, where North Korea will be the main topic of discussion. This will be the first such meeting of the United States and Japan since 2015. They are expected to discuss steps to beef up a ballistic missile defense system and review the duties of the U.S. military and the Self-Defense Forces, reports Kyodo. This could include the possibility of Japan buying an Aegis Ashore anti-ballistic missile installation, purportedly to defend against the North Korea missile threat.