Biden and Kishida praise the strength of the alliance between America and Japan
US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida praised Friday at the White House the strength of the alliance between their two countries and the increasing role that Japan intends to play in protecting stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
"I want to be very clear: The United States is fully, resolutely and fully committed to this alliance and most importantly to the defense of Japan," Biden said in the Oval Office, welcoming again Japan's "historic increase" in the military budget and its new security strategy.
"You are a true leader and a true friend," the US president added, alongside Kishida.
For his part, the Japanese Prime Minister spoke about the new defense doctrine that was approved in December and provides for a massive increase in the defense budget.
It would "benefit our deterrence and response capabilities," he said, a message to Beijing and Pyongyang.
In a speech he later gave to students at Johns Hopkins University, the Japanese leader spoke of the beginning of a historic transformation for his country, warning that if Russian interference in Ukraine was allowed to continue, it would embolden other countries.
"The Russian war on Ukraine marks the complete end of the post-Cold War world," he said.
"If we allow the unilateral change of the status quo by force, it will happen elsewhere in the world, including Asia," he added, in a veiled reference to Taiwan amid fears of Chinese interference.
Kishida stressed that the relationship with China "is the most important challenge for both Japan and the United States."
Kishida described it as a "major shift" in Japan's policy toward Russia after marathon unsuccessful talks to resolve the conflict over the islands captured by Soviet forces soon after Tokyo's surrender in 1945.
"Japan's participation in the actions against Russia has transformed the fight against Russia's war on Ukraine from a transatlantic battle into a global one," Kishida said.
During the meeting with the Japanese leader in the Oval Office, Biden praised Japan's firmness towards the war on Ukraine.
"Our security alliance has never been stronger," Biden and Kishida said in a joint statement.
The two leaders reaffirmed that the Alliance remains the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
They also reiterated their call for maintaining "peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait.
This is the first visit to Washington by the Japanese prime minister, whose country holds the presidency of the Group of Seven countries this year.
The visit comes at the end of a tour in Europe and North America that included France, Italy, Britain and Canada.
Biden and Kishida discussed a range of international issues, including the war in Ukraine and strengthening bilateral relations, as well as issues related to the economy and technology.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news