U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth poses for a photo with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on the sidelines of an expanded ASEAN defense ministers’ summit in Cebu, the Philippines, on Wednesday in this image posted to Hegseth’s official X account.
XFacebookLinkedInRedditBlueskyThreadsEmailPrintBookmark storyCopy link
Oct 28, 2026
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday agreed to boost cooperation to help prevent cyberattacks, as Japan continues to reel from a spate of almost daily incidents.
Koizumi met Hegseth on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense chiefs’ summit shortly after arriving at the venue on the Philippine island of Cebu.
“Against the backdrop of a series of malicious cyberactivities — including large-scale leaks of personal information — both domestically and internationally, the two defense chiefs agreed to continue strengthening cooperation and coordination to prevent such activities from having a serious impact on the lives of citizens, economic activities, and, ultimately, the security of both nations,” the Defense Ministry said in a readout of the meeting.
