Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru chose the US as his first overseas destination since being appointed to his post last month. He met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

Japanese leaders say international tensions are at their highest point since World War Two, and they are overseeing a "major shift" in policy. Kihara has inherited a plan to spend more than 300 billion dollars on defense over five years. He shared ideas with Austin on modernizing their alliance and tackling "shared challenges."

Kihara said, "Unilateral changes to the status quo by force -- and such attempts -- can never be condoned in any part of the world, including the Indo-Pacific region."

Austin told him the US supports Japan's "bold decision to invest in advanced capabilities, including counterstrike."

He also cited what he called China's "coercive behavior," North Korea's "dangerous provocations" and Russia's "reckless war of choice." He added that teamwork with allies including South Korea and Australia will make the Indo-Pacific "safer and more secure."

Kihara said his government hopes to fast-track the purchase of hundreds of Tomahawk missiles from the US. The plan would be to use them in a potential counterattack to strike distant targets. Kihara said he wants the Self-Defense Forces to have the missiles by 2025, a year earlier than planned.