CAMP H. M. SMITH, Hawaii – Gen. Koji Yamazaki, Chief of Staff of the Japan Joint Staff, and Adm. John Aquilino, Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, bilaterally presided over the 12^th Joint Senior Leaders Seminar at Camp H. M. Smith, Hawaii, Sep. 21-22.

JSLS demonstrated the close collaboration between Japan Joint Staff, USINDOPACOM, and U.S. Forces, Japan. Senior leaders candidly discussed security challenges and committed to strengthening the Alliance.

“We have a unique opportunity to improve our cooperation, strengthen the rules-based international order, and guarantee many more decades of peace and prosperity,” said Adm. Aquilino. “Gen. Yamazaki and I are aligned, and our staffs are working together to operationalize our shared vision.”

The JSLS highlighted integration and interoperability between the U.S. Joint Force and Japanese Self Defense Force as vital for any potential contingency and humanitarian response activities across the Pacific.

“Adm. Aquilino and I have a shared understanding of the security environment, which is becoming increasingly more challenging,” said Gen. Yamazaki. “We affirmed the strength of the ironclad alliance between Japan and the U.S., the need to maintain international order, which relies on the rule of law, and the need to promote the cooperation for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”

The Alliance between the U.S. and Japan is a cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific, helping to provide stability and broader economic prosperity for more than 70 years.