The President of the United States, Joe Biden, welcomed the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, at the White House this Wednesday, where they sealed a broad defense agreement that targets China and Russia, two of the largest military powers in the world.
In a joint press conference, Biden declared that the new military alliance represents the closest collaboration between both nations since they became allies.
"This is the most significant upgrade in our alliance since it was first established," Biden said after a couple of hours of talks with Kishida. They focused on the restive Indo-Pacific region and China's actions toward Taiwan, a self-ruled island that the Asian giant wants to annex to its territory.
According to various press reports, both leaders exchanged opinions on the war between Hamas and Israel and the situation in Gaza, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the latest events of the conflict, the threat posed by North Korea and other points of global conflicts.
This new military alliance comes as the United States and Japan strengthen their militaries to counter the Chinese threat in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
The most tangible intention of these improvements is to deter China from any attempt to seize Taiwan by force, a fact highlighted by Kishida when speaking to the press after the meeting.
"Unilateral attempts to change status quo by force or coercion is absolutely unacceptable, wherever it may be," said the Japanese prime minister. He affirmed that Japan will continue to respond to China's threats against Taiwan, an island that he compared to Asia Oriental.
"Regarding Russia's aggression of Ukraine... Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow," Kishida said.
Overall, it is the most complete and complex military alliance between two countries that were enemies during World War II. President Biden assured that both armies would cooperate with a joint command structure and that, together with Australia, another important ally of both countries, they would develop a new air defense network against missiles.
Likewise, both Biden and the Japanese Prime Minister assured that Japanese astronauts would participate in NASA's lunar missions.
According to Reuters, the countries reached about 70 defense cooperation agreements.
What stands out among the agreements is modernizing the U.S. military command structure in Japan, which will allow U.S. troops to better collaborate with Japanese forces in a crisis.
In addition to the agreements, Kishida has been received with honors in Washington, with Japanese flags displayed throughout the capital and with a state dinner that was held tonight with the presence of important Democratic figures, including former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve.
In addition, Kishida is expected to address the U.S. Congress this Thursday, a day for which a meeting with the president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is also scheduled.
