Japan and US Plan First Island Chain Defence as Manila Teachers Leave
Japan’s defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met in Cebu on Wednesday, October 28, on the sidelines of ASEAN defence talks, Kyodo News reported. According to the US Defense Department, they agreed to work toward an “effective denial defence in the First Island Chain,” an area east of China’s coast that includes Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.
Koizumi briefed Hegseth on Japan’s planned update of its security strategy documents by the end of the year, and both sides said talks would continue on preventive measures after a US Marine’s arrest in Okinawa.
Separately, Radio Free Asia reported that about 150 Chinese-language teachers, possibly as many as 180 according to China’s ambassador, have left the Philippines after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. cautioned about security risks in educational exchanges. Analysts quoted by RFA urged evidence-based scrutiny and warned against xenophobia.
The Cebu talks continue on Thursday.