Expectations for the Japanese prime minister's first visit to the United States in 9 years

This week, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit the United States. The last time a Japanese prime minister visited the country was nine years ago. The trip has generated great expectations, and the two countries are expected to address topics such as artificial intelligence and defense.

An official told ABC News that Kishida and Joe Biden are expected to make major announcements on new cooperative efforts.

A Biden administration official indicated that "the leaders will unveil more than 70 programs and initiatives. Many of the announcements will focus on deepening defense ties, furthering cooperation between Japan and other allies, and new updates on Japan's efforts to acquire Tomahawk land attack missiles from the U.S.," ABC explained.

The alliance on defense issues between the United States and Japan is something that the Japanese prime minister has insisted on, who just last week explained the importance of the issue for his country.

"Defense industry cooperation between Japan and the United States, as well as with like-minded countries, are extremely important ... Within the Japan-U.S. alliance, I do hope to steadily improve deterrence and response capability," Kishida said in an interview reported by The Associated Press.

In this sense, the prime minister highlighted that he hopes to promote security cooperation in areas that include defense equipment and technology. "By building multi-layered networks of cooperation, we can further expand and strengthen our deterrence capability," Kishida said.

Likewise, it was learned that during his visit to the United States from April 8 to 14, Kishida will have several meetings, including one with President Biden on Wednesday. He will also participate in a trilateral summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday.