Caught off guard by a sudden flattery from Shinzo Abe's son, Hegseth remained expressionless, leaving Japanese journalists visibly embarrassed and mortified!

On the evening of May 29, 2026, the opening ceremony and dinner of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore were underway. Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru Kishida met face-to-face with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the event. Suddenly, without warning, Kishida began offering Austin a birthday greeting ahead of time.

Austin’s birthday is on June 6—meaning Kishida’s well-wishes came a full week early. Footage from the scene shows Kishida smiling warmly and speaking earnestly, while Austin responded with no visible emotion. This moment was captured by multiple media outlets.

The Shangri-La Dialogue is one of the most important security forums in the Asia-Pacific region, attended by high-level military and defense officials from around the world. When Japan’s defense minister meets the U.S. defense secretary at such an event, one would expect discussions to center on security cooperation and regional developments.

But this May was different from previous years. In his speech at the dialogue, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin made it clear to allies: “If you’re unwilling to pay more, don’t expect America to protect you.” In a separate interview, Dr. Hoo Teck Chye, Chief Consultant at the Malaysia Pacific Institute, pointed out, “Traditional U.S. allies are already feeling unsettled—they realize their future relationship with America will change.”

Even more concerning for Japan was Austin’s public praise of several allies—South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia—for proactively increasing their defense spending. The implication was clear: Japan isn’t doing enough to “obey” or meet expectations. Kishida’s premature birthday greeting was clearly an attempt to make up for diplomatic unease through a private gesture.

Kishida’s birthday wish wasn’t his only act of sycophancy during this Shangri-La session. Throughout the event, he consistently tried to curry favor with the United States. Immediately after Austin’s speech ended, Kishida was the first to raise his hand for questions. Instead of asking about specific policies, he said, “We Japan have done this, we’ve done that, we’ve done many things—do you feel satisfied?” It was highly unusual for a defense minister-level official to seek recognition so openly.

During the Q&A, Kishida added another statement: “Some are trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Japan. I worry that America’s commitments might be underestimated by certain countries. I hope you can convey reassurance here and now to the region.” In plain terms, he was publicly demanding a security guarantee from the United States.

Kishida’s obsequious behavior felt awkward—and it won’t secure Japan equal footing within the alliance. From Austin’s tone, it’s clear Japan will still be expected to pay its dues for protection, and its defense budget will not be reduced. As for the Japanese reporters present who witnessed the entire scene live, they probably wished there was a crack in the floor they could crawl into.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866672572295176/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.