JAPAN-US-MILITARY - US Pacific admiral: Ties with Japan key to regional security

Contributed by NAMPA / PTI.

Tokyo, Jun 24 (AP) The U.S. Navy's top commander in the Pacific and the Japanese defense minister on Friday said that close cooperation between their naval forces is more important than ever in the region amid rising tensions over China, North Korea and Russia.
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Sam Paparo that the American naval presence in the region is indispensable to maintain and strengthen a “free and open” Indo-Pacific, a vision of a rules-based framework that t ...