The President of the United States, Joe Biden has welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House, which many close sources have revealed that an upgrade in defence ties was top of the agenda.
This is only Biden’s fifth official state visit as president; usually, only the strongest US allies are invited to these sumptuous gatherings.
Three of the four previous state dinners—South Korea, India, and Australia—emphasized the Indo-Pacific area to offset what US officials describe as China’s rising military and economic aggression. Moreover, the trips highlight an administration’s strategic priorities.
Beijing also loomed large on Wednesday, in a visit that began with Biden welcoming Kishida on the South Lawn of the White House. Biden hailed the “unbreakable” partnership between Japan and the US as “a cornerstone of peace, security, prosperity, in the Indo-Pacific and around the world”.
Kishida referenced the iconic cherry blossom trees that typically bloom in Washington, DC in spring, and were first gifted to the US by Japan in 1912.
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“I am confident that the cherry blossom-like bond of the Japan-US alliance will continue to grow even thicker and stronger in the Indo-Pacific and in all corners of the world,” Kishida said.
The two men went on to discuss as many as 70 cooperation agreements in defence, space and technology during a meeting in the oval office, according to officials who previewed the event.
At a joint press conference, Biden announced what he described as the most significant upgrade in military ties since the alliance between the two countries began.
He said the countries would modernize their military command and control structures in Japan to increase interoperability and planning. He also said that Japan, Australia and the US will create a network of air missiles and defence architecture, in the latest move to increase coordination of allies in the region.
The US has about 38,000 troops stationed in Japan, with another 11,000 on US vessels in Japanese waters.
The move is the latest by the US to increase cooperation with key allies in the region.
Beyond strengthening the so-called Quad strategic grouping, which includes the US, India, South Korea and Australia, the Biden administration has also created the so-called AUKUS security partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom, which is helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
The leaders of the US, Japan and the Philippines – another key US ally in the region – are also set to hold a first-of-its-kind trilateral meeting on Thursday.
For its part, Beijing has repeatedly accused Washington of “Cold War thinking” that has ratcheted up tensions. Nevertheless, both Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have shown a willingness to engage diplomatically in recent times, with the two leaders holding a call earlier this month, their first direct communication since November.
The White House also announced on Wednesday a plan for Japan to join future US space missions, with Biden promising that a Japanese astronaut “will become the first non-American ever to land on the Moon”.
The two countries also announced a joint partnership to accelerate the development and commercialization of nuclear fusion, an extremely high-yield, low waste form of energy production that scientists have been trying to harness for decades.
Speaking at the news conference, Kishida said that he and Biden had also discussed North Korea, which has continued to test more powerful missiles in recent years, as well as security in the Taiwan Strait, the waterway off of the self-governing island that China claims as its own.
He drew a direct link between Russia’s war in Ukraine and concerns in the Indo Pacific region.