Hegseth vows to strengthen alliance with Japan as he joins Iwo Jima memorial service

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday praised American-Japanese friendship and trust while attending a memorial service on Iwo Jima to honor those who died in a pivotal World War II battle.

Japan is Hegseth's second stop after the Philippines on his first Asia trip. His visit comes as Beijing has been showing increasing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea and President Donald Trump made threats to impose trade tariffs on the East Asian country, a key U.S. ally.

Hegseth landed on Iwo Jima, now known as Iwoto, the island where Japanese and American soldiers faced off in one of the war's fiercest battles. He joined several American veterans who survived the battle and bereaved Japanese families. He was joined by his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other officials at Saturday's Reunion of Honor event.

“Iwo Jima embodies our shared warrior ethos, our shared devotion to the nation, and to duty and our shared reverence for the men of valor who preceded us,” Hegseth said in front of the cenotaph built in 1985 marking their first joint memorial.

“The U.S.-Japan alliance shows ... how yesterday’s enemy has become today’s friends,” Hegseth said. “Our alliance has been and remains the cornerstone of freedom, prosperity, security and peace in the Indo-Pacific.”

Most of those who fought on the tiny island are gone but their hallowed memory lives on, he said, and expressed appreciation for the six veterans aged about 100 who attended the memorial.

The veterans slowly walked to the epitaph with the help of service members to pay tribute to their fellow Marines and sailors who perished there. Charles Cram, a Navy corpsman who was wounded and awarded for his bravery, saluted the epitaph and gently touched the wreath of red, blue and white flowers, as did the others.

Cram, who landed on Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, spent the first night in a foxhole by himself feeling "terribly scared.” A few days later, Cram was shot in his leg by a Japanese sniper while checking on a Marine and was evacuated. By then he had lost most of the 250 Marines he landed with.

“I felt some sadness in my heart that I realized that this is one of the futilities of war,” Cram, 99, said during his first trip back since the battle.

In a sign of reconciliation, Cram said he brought a flag he took from a Japanese soldier and handed it over to one of Japanese officials at the ceremony, expressing his hopes it would be returned to the soldier's family.

Recent polls show the Japanese feel more affinity toward the U.S. than any other country. Most Americans and Japanese alive today were born after Japan surrendered in August 1945.

Japan, which faces growing threats from China, North Korea and Russia, has been accelerating its military buildup and increasingly working closely with the U.S. military.

On Sunday, Hegseth will hold talks with Nakatani in Tokyo to discuss further strengthening the alliance.

“We must not forget that the peace and prosperity we enjoy today have been built upon the noble sacrifices of those who died in the war and the tireless efforts of the people over the past 80 years since the end of the war,” said Ishiba, who became the first serving Japanese prime minister to attend the joint Iwo Jima memorial.

The 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima is best known for the photo by The Associated Press’ Joe Rosenthal showing six Marines raising the U.S. flag over Mount Suribachi 80 years ago.

About 70,000 American troops fought at Iwo Jima from Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945, as the U.S. tried to take control of a key strategic point to advance to mainland Japan. Nearly 7,000 Marines and about 20,000 Japanese were killed. More than half of the remains of the Japanese are still unaccounted for.

This photo shows Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, now known as Iwoto, or Iwo island, Japan, in October 2023. (Kyodo News via AP)

This photo shows Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, now known as Iwoto, or Iwo island, Japan, in October 2023. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gives a eulogy during a memorial service hosted by Japanese bereaved families of the World War II on Iwo Jima, now known as Iwoto, or Iwo island, Japan, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)

This photo shows Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, now known as Iwoto, or Iwo island, Japan, in October 2023. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japanese and the U.S. military personnel participate in the 80th Reunion of Honor joint ceremony where Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attended on Iwo Jima, now known as Iwoto, or Iwo island, Japan, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)

FILE - A U.S. Marine walks near a rock with engraving Japanese letter reading "Iwo Jima" at the airfield at Iwo Jima, now known as Ioto, Japan, on March 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

FILE - A U.S. Marine looks out at Invasion Beach near the site of a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, now known as Ioto, Japan, on March 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

FILE - Iwo Jima, now known officially as Ioto, is seen from an airplane in Japan, on March 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Naval Academy has removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office to review and get rid of ones that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, U.S officials said Tuesday.

Academy officials were told to review the library late last week, and an initial search had identified about 900 books for a closer look. They decided on nearly 400 to remove and began doing so Monday, finishing before Hegseth arrived for a visit Tuesday that had already been planned and was not connected to the library purge, officials said. A list of the books has not yet been made available.

Pulling the books off the shelves is another step in the Trump administration’s far-reaching effort to eliminate so-called DEI content from federal agencies, including policies, programs, online and social media postings and curriculum at schools.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said late Tuesday, “All service academies are fully committed to executing and implementing President Trump’s Executive Orders.”

The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, had not been included in President Donald Trump's executive order in January that banned DEI instruction, programs or curriculum in kindergarten through 12th grade schools that receive federal funding. That is because the academies are colleges.

Pentagon leaders, however, suddenly turned their attention to the Naval Academy last week when a media report noted that the school had not removed books that promoted DEI. A U.S. official said the academy was told late last week to conduct the review and removal. It isn't clear if the order was directed by Hegseth or someone else on his staff.

A West Point official confirmed that the school had completed a review of its curriculum and was prepared to review library content if directed by the Army. The Air Force and Naval academies had also done curriculum reviews as had been required.

An Air Force Academy official said the school continually reviews its curriculum, coursework and other materials to ensure it all complies with executive orders and Defense Department policies. Last week, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, the Air Force Academy superintendent, told Congress that the school was in the middle of its course review, but there was no mention of books.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss academy policies.

Hegseth has aggressively pushed the department to erase DEI programs and online content, but the campaign has been met with questions from angry lawmakers, local leaders and citizens over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages.

In response, the department has scrambled to restore some of those posts as their removals have come to light.

The confusion about how to interpret the DEI policy was underscored Monday as Naval Academy personnel mistakenly removed some photos of distinguished female Jewish graduates from a display case as they prepared for Hegseth's visit. The photos were put back.

In a statement, the Navy said it is aware that photos were mistakenly removed from the Naval Academy Jewish Center. It said U.S. Naval Academy leadership was immediately taking steps to review and correct the unauthorized removal.

Hegseth spoke with students and had lunch at the academy Tuesday, but media were not invited or allowed to cover the visit.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a joint news conference with Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)

FILE - An entrance to the U.S. Naval Academy campus in Annapolis, Md., is seen Jan. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)