Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed Wednesday to bolster their alliance and partnership in the realm of defense, apparently with China’s increasing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region in mind.
At their summit held during Kishida’s state visit to the United States, the first by a Japanese premier in nine years, the two leaders also confirmed they will join hands to boost defense relations and supply chains for semiconductors and other crucial products to tackle China’s regional military and economic clout.
Kishida said he reaffirmed with Biden the significance of the bilateral alliance while trying to pitch a “global partnership” between Tokyo and Washington as geopolitical tensions rise across the world amid China’s military buildup and North Korea’s nuclear and missile development.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands at their summit meeting at the White House on April 10, 2024. (Kyodo)
“We are therefore working together, across all domains and at all levels, to build a global partnership that is fit for purpose to address the complex, interconnected challenges of today and tomorrow for the benefit of our two countries and the world,” the leaders said in a joint statement.
Ahead of the summit, a welcome ceremony took place at the White House. After their meeting, Kishida and Biden held a joint press conference and released statements before the president hosts an official dinner party.
Kishida and his wife Yuko on Tuesday night attended an informal dinner with Biden at a restaurant in Washington. Biden posted a picture of himself and the prime minister sharing a ride in the presidential limousine, known as “The Beast.”
Biden said at the arrival ceremony that the U.S.-Japan alliance is “truly a global partnership” for peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world, adding, “Now our two countries are building a stronger defense partnership.”
Kishida said Japan and the United States will “take the lead” in addressing global challenges, while looking “10 years and also 100 years ahead” in developing ties.
At the outset of their summit, which was open to the media, Biden told Kishida that the U.S.-Japan alliance has become stronger than ever in history.
Kishida said Japan and the United States are “now at the forefront” in maintaining a free and open international order, adding that the two nations are “indispensable” to each other in driving sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
On the security front, Kishida and Biden confirmed deeper cooperation between the U.S. military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces as threats posed by China and North Korea escalate.
Japan is set to establish a joint headquarters to command its ground, maritime and air forces by the end of March 2025. The United States is arranging to strengthen the functions of its command headquarters in Japan in line with the move, government officials said.
Kishida and Biden also agreed to pave the way for jointly developing key defense equipment so the decades-old alliance between the United States and Japan can enter a new stage to underpin stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
The leaders, meanwhile, pledged to create a framework so that Japanese private companies can undertake extensive repairs of U.S. Navy warships, enabling the vessels to operate for longer without returning home for maintenance.
Japan and the United States are likely to flesh out details of the summit agreements at two-plus-two talks involving their defense and foreign ministers in the near future, the officials said.
Kishida and Biden also made a commitment to reinforce supply chains, with some democracies adversely affected by what the United States calls “economic coercion” by authoritarian countries.
In the space field, Kishida and Biden agreed on shared goals regarding the U.S.-led lunar exploration Artemis program, which could see a Japanese astronaut become the first non-American to travel to the Moon.
