Washington. December 4th. INTERFAX - U.S. Defense Ministers Lloyd Austin and Japan's Nobuo Kishi agreed in a telephone conversation to discuss issues of deepening cooperation in the field of defense in the near future at a meeting in the "2 +2" format, the Pentagon said.
"Ministers Austin and Kishi discussed efforts to deepen defense cooperation to maintain regional deterrence, and agreed to hold a meeting of the 2+2 Security Advisory Committee in the near future," the statement said.
They stressed "the commitment to security and stability in the region and the enduring strength of the US-Japan alliance."