Tokyo and Washington are holding security talks before Kishida and Biden meet
Japan and the United States plan to hold security talks between their foreign and defense ministers in Washington the day before Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in the US capital next week at the end of his G7 tour as Tokyo expands its military and deepens alliance with America amid China's growing influence.
Kishida is set to begin a six-country visit on Monday that will take him to France, Italy, Britain and Canada ahead of his Jan. 13 summit with US President Joe Biden.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will fly to Washington to join their US counterparts Lloyd Austin and Anthony Blinken in their "2+2" security talks on Wednesday, ahead of their leaders' summit at the White House, Japanese officials said Friday.
The "2+2" talks are expected to focus on new national security strategies, released by Japan in mid-December and the United States in October, and how the two allies plan to address security concerns including China, North Korea and Russia.
"We will discuss strengthening the deterrence and response capacity of the Japan-US alliance while taking into account our new strategy documents," Hamada told reporters.
Hamada said Friday that he and Austin will hold bilateral defense talks separately on Thursday to discuss the details of how their militaries can broaden and deepen their operations.
Asked if they would discuss revising their current defense principles based on Japan's more defensive role, Hamada said nothing has been decided.
In December, Japan adopted a set of three security and defense strategic documents that go beyond the position of self-defense.
Under the new strategies, Japan pledges to build up its counterattack capacity with long-range cruise missiles that can reach potential targets in China, double its defense budget within five years, and promote the development of advanced weapons.
American officials have welcomed Japan's willingness to take on a more offensive role, while experts say it could also help expand cooperation with Australia, their main regional defense partner.
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