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Joe Biden will soon receive a visit from the Prime Minister of Japan. Military cooperation and China’s nuclear weapons are some of the issues on the agenda.
On January 13, the President of the United States is expected to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House. Kishida himself said in a televised speech that he will address Tokyo’s new security policy and forge even stronger ties with the United States.
– We will show the world an even stronger Japanese-American alliance, which forms a cornerstone of Japan’s security policy and diplomacy, says Kishida at a press conference.
The meeting will be held barely a month after Japan announced plans for its biggest military buildup since World War II. The country will spend 320 billion dollars on military defense according to a five-year plan. It would have been unthinkable just a few years ago in Japan, which since the Second World War has had a ban on regular military power enshrined in the constitution.
Fumio Kishida has described it as “a turning point in history”. The White House commented that Biden gives his full support to Japan’s military plans.
The two leaders will also discuss a range of regional and global issues, such as North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and Russia’s war on Ukraine, according to the White House.