Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo and US Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller reaffirmed that Article Five of the Japan-US Security Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Article Five obliges the United States to defend territories under Japan's administrative control.
Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is set to take part in an online ASEAN summit plus three and the East Asia Summit on Saturday.
Leaders from ten ASEAN members as well as Japan, China and South Korea are meeting on Saturday afternoon. Later in the day, the United States, Russia and others will join for the East Asia Summit.
A record 1,705 new coronavirus cases were reported in Japan on Friday, surpassing the previous high set on Thursday. The prime minister is calling for renewed vigilance.
Experts say the country is experiencing a third wave of infections. In total, there have been more than 116,000 since the outbreak began. Nearly 1,900 people have died.
Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies says the Chinese military is rapidly promoting development of core technologies in cooperation with the private sector, to boost its capabilities in cyberspace and outer space.
The institute on Friday released its annual report on China's military development, focusing on the country's military-civil fusion strategy.
Officials in Japan reported a record 1,685 new coronavirus cases in the country on Friday. That's the highest daily tally so far, topping the previous record confirmed on Thursday.
Nine people in six prefectures died of the disease, including four deaths in Saitama.
Japanese Nobel Prize winner in physics Koshiba Masatoshi died on Thursday at a hospital in Tokyo. He was 94.
Koshiba won the prize in 2002 for founding "neutrino-astronomy," the study of the mechanism of stellar evolution by observing elementary particles called neutrinos.
A Japanese Nobel Prize winner in physics, Koshiba Masatoshi, died on Thursday at a hospital in Tokyo. He was 94.
Koshiba won the prize in 2002 for founding a new field, "neutrino-astronomy," which explores the mechanism of stellar evolution by observing elementary particles called neutrinos.
Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has renewed a call for anti-coronavirus measures as the country confirmed its highest-ever daily tally of 1,661 new cases nationwide on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters on Friday morning, Suga noted that new cases are surging especially in Hokkaido, Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi.
Japan's nuclear regulator has maintained its view that multiple blasts occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's No.3 reactor following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
The plant suffered meltdowns from the accident. Three reactor buildings were severely damaged by hydrogen explosions.
Japan is considering easing the 14-day quarantine requirement for foreigners visiting Japan for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Officials from the Japanese government, the Tokyo metropolitan government and the Tokyo organizing committee met at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday.
The cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab says it has found an increasing number of cyberattacks targeting those working from home.
The firm conducted a survey of cyberattacks involving people connecting their computers to servers at their offices or other places of work.
Officials in Japan confirmed 1,634 new cases of coronavirus nationwide on Thursday. That's the highest daily tally so far in the country, surpassing the previous record of 1,605 confirmed on August 7.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says 393 new cases were confirmed in the capital on Thursday.
A panel of experts has agreed to a Japanese government plan to retain caps on spectator numbers at major events until the end of February to curb coronavirus infections.
The government panel gave the nod at a meeting on Thursday as new cases are surging again across the nation.
A panel of infectious disease experts has urged people in Tokyo to be on high alert for the coronavirus as a rapid increase in infections is just beginning.
Officials of the Tokyo metropolitan government and experts on public health and infectious diseases met on Thursday to assess the coronavirus situation.