😏 At a press conference on the 11th, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi explained, in regards to the agreement between the leaders of Japan and the United States to strengthen command and control between the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military, "The Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military each act according to their own independent systems. The Self-Defense Forces' Joint Operations Command (to be launched within this fiscal year) will not come under the command and control of the U.S. military." Regarding President Biden's support for dialogue between Japan and North Korea, he said, "The leaders of Japan and the United States confirmed that Japan, the United States, and Japan, the United States, and South Korea will work together even more closely, based on the common understanding that the path to dialogue with North Korea is open. I take this remark to be based on this common understanding." 🫡