Japan, U.S. officials to hold security talks in Tokyo on March 16 The top foreign and defense officials from Japan and the United States will hold a meeting in Tokyo next Tuesday to strengthen their countries' alliance amid an increasingly severe regional security environment, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will visit Japan for three days from Monday, marking their first trips abroad since the launch of U.S. President Joe Biden's administration on Jan. 20, according to the Japanese ministry. Blinken, who will then head to South Korea, plans to reaffirm during his trip to Asia the U.S. commitment to strengthening its alliances and to highlight cooperation that promotes peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, the State Department said.