"I’ve seen the press reporting on that," Ryder said during a briefing, when asked about the reports on Thursday. "Japan is one of our strongest allies and we discuss a wide range of issues in the Indo-Pacific and beyond."
However, Ryder deferred to the Japanese government to discuss the reported sale of Patriot missile systems to the United States.
Earlier this week, US media reported Japan is working on approving the sale of Patriot missile systems to the United States.
Such a sale could enable the Defense Department to provide further military aid to Ukraine by bolstering flexibility in US defense stockpiles.