Japan’s PM to meet Biden in Washington
JAPAN: According to statements made on Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House on January 13 and travel to other G7 allies this month.
Japan’s PM to meet Biden in Washington. Although he has spoken with Biden numerous times, including in Japan, this will be Kishida’s first trip to the US capital since entering office in October 2021.
Japan is assuming the presidency of the G7 grouping and Kishida said he also planned to visit members France, Italy, Canada and Britain this month.
He said the meeting with Biden would be “extremely important” and demonstrate “the strengthening Japan-US alliance”.
The trip would “further expand ties between our governments, economies, and our people,” the White House stated in a previous statement.
The two presidents are anticipated to discuss climate change, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and regional security issues, such as North Korea and China.
Kishida stated that he will also bring up Japan’s strengthened defence strategy. As it warned China posed the “greatest strategic challenge ever” to its security, Japan’s government last month approved a massive revision of its defence strategy, including a considerable increase in funding.
Japan pledged to increase security expenditure to 2% of GDP by 2027, reorganize its military command, and buy new missiles that can target far-flung enemy launch locations in its biggest defence shake-up in decades.
On January 9, Kishida will begin his diplomatic tour in Paris, continuing with stops in Rome, London, and Ottawa before landing in Washington.
Kishida wants to place establishing a world free of nuclear weapons on the international agenda and will be hosting the G7 leaders summit in Hiroshima in May.
In addition to reiterating their support for Ukraine, he said he expected the G7 to show “solidarity with the rest of the world” and work with the “global south” on problems like the climate change and the food and energy crises.
