US President Joe Biden has welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House, making strengthening defense ties a top priority.
The meeting was only Biden's fifth official state visit since taking office, a lavish event typically reserved for America's staunchest allies.
Additionally, the trip underscores the administration's strategic priorities, with three of the past four state dinners in South Korea, India, and Australia, in which U.S. officials have emphasized China's military and economic claims. It was emphasizing the Indo-Pacific region to counter what it described as growth.
China's presence loomed large on Wednesday, even during a visit that began with Biden welcoming Kishida on the South Lawn of the White House. Biden praised the “unbreakable” partnership between Japan and the U.S. as “the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.”
Kishida was referring to the iconic cherry blossom tree, which typically blooms in Washington, D.C., in the spring and was first gifted to the United States from Japan in 1912.
Mr. Kishida said, “I am confident that the cherry blossom-like bond of the Japan-U.S. Alliance will grow even stronger in the Indo-Pacific region and in every corner of the world.''
The two men discussed as many as 70 cooperation agreements in defense, space and technology during their Oval Office meeting, according to people familiar with the event.
Biden announced at a joint news conference what he called the most significant strengthening of military ties since the beginning of the two countries' alliance.
He said countries will modernize Japan's military command and control structures to increase interoperability and planning. He also said Japan, Australia and the United States will build a network of air missiles and defense structures, in the latest move to strengthen alliances among allies in the region.
The United States has about 38,000 troops in Japan, with an additional 11,000 on American ships in Japanese territorial waters.
The move is the latest by the United States to strengthen cooperation with key allies in the region.
As well as strengthening the so-called “Quad” strategic grouping, which includes the United States, India, South Korea and Australia, the Biden administration will also create the so-called “AUKUS” security partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom, supporting Australia's nuclear presence. are doing. submarine.
The leaders of the United States, Japan, and the Philippines, another key American ally in the region, are also scheduled to hold a first-of-its-kind trilateral meeting on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has repeatedly accused the US government of “Cold War thinking” that gradually escalates tensions. Nevertheless, Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have recently shown a willingness to engage diplomatically, with the two leaders holding a telephone conversation earlier this month, their first direct communication since November.
The White House also announced plans Wednesday for Japan to participate in future U.S. space missions, with Biden promising that Japanese astronauts would be “the first non-Americans to land on the moon.”
The two countries also announced a joint partnership to accelerate the development and commercialization of nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is an extremely high-yield, low-waste form of energy production that scientists have been trying to exploit for decades.
Kishida said at the press conference that he and Biden also discussed North Korea, which has conducted more powerful missile tests in recent years, and security in the Taiwan Strait, the waterway off China's autonomous island. Claim it as your own.
He drew a direct link between Russia's war in Ukraine and concerns in the Indo-Pacific region.
Kishida said, “Any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo through force or coercion is absolutely unacceptable under any circumstances.''
“Regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine…Today's Ukraine may become tomorrow's East Asia,” Kishida said.
Asked about Japan's Nippon Steel's planned $15 billion takeover of U.S. steelmaker US Steel, which has been criticized by both Biden and former President Donald Trump, Kishida said he wanted to strengthen a “win-win relationship.” Stated.
In the evening, Mr. Biden is scheduled to entertain Mr. Kishida at a lavish state dinner, and the White House's state convention hall has been transformed into a “vibrant spring garden.'' The event will be organized by First Lady Jill Biden.
Meals prepared by White House chefs include house-cured salmon, aged ribeye with wasabi sauce, and salted caramel pistachio cake with cherry ice cream.
After dinner, there will be a performance by singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Kishida will be the first Japanese leader to make an official state visit since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015.