Joe Biden met Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to "modernize" the alliance between the countries in the face of a perceived threat from China.
Both Washington and Tokyo are focused on bolstering their military defenses to cope with "the most challenging and complex security environment in recent history," according to Kishida.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged that both the United States and Japan view China as the "greatest strategic challenge," so agreeing to a new partnership was the most logical next step.
The two governments decided to extend the protection that the U.S. nuclear umbrella guarantees Japan, in addition to creating an infantry unit of Marines to be based in Okinawa to replace an artillery unit.
▶️ U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House Friday for his first visit to the U.S. since becoming prime minister just over a year ago.
👉Biden-Kishida Summit Focuses on Countering China, Russia https://t.co/DCz5XtPDXy pic.twitter.com/BCEzU71p1o
— Voice of America (@VOANews) January 13, 2023
After the meeting, Biden assured that he is fully committed to the alliance and stressed that the strength of the U.S.-Japanese relations is based on the fact that both share "democratic values."
Kishida agreed that both democracy and the rule of law were of paramount importance and explained that his intention is to strengthen the country's defensive capabilities with the intention of keeping China or any other rivals at bay regarding potential future attacks.
Prime Minister Kishida of Japan has arrived for his meeting with President Biden. pic.twitter.com/y86r3xiOVJ
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) January 13, 2023
Japan has not focused this heavily on national defense since World War II, but national security concerns have increased due to the rise of China's military, the pressure on Taiwan from the People's Liberation Army, as well as threats from North Korea.
Now, the Kishida and the Japanese government is focused on its Group of Seven (G7) allies. After various meetings he reached important agreements not only with the United States, but also with the United Kingdom. This comes in addition to the pacts it already has with Australia and the ongoing talks with the Philippines.
