Japan's PM to meet Biden in Washington, visit other G7 allies
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden will discuss security issues and bilateral ties when the Japanese leader visits the White House on Jan 13. (Photo: AFP/Lillian Suwanrumpha, Brendan SmialowskiI)
TOKYO/WASHINGTON: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday (Jan 4) he will hold talks with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Jan 13, and will also visit other G7 allies this month.
The visit will be Kishida's first trip to the US capital since taking office in October 2021, though he has held talks with Biden several times, including in Japan.
Japan is assuming the presidency of the G7 grouping and Kishida said he also plans 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 two leaders will talk about ways to address climate change as well as discuss security issues around North Korea, China and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the statement added.
"President Biden looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan to the White House on Friday, January 13th to further deepen ties between our governments, economies, and our people," the White House said in a statement.
Biden will renew his support for Japan's presidency of the G7 and its mandate as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the White House said.
Kishida warned last summer at a summit with Biden in Japan that China's ambition to take back the island of Taiwan could flare into a new conflict. "Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow," the Japanese leader said.
Kishida said he would also raise Japan's bolstered defence policy.
Japan's government approved a major defence policy overhaul last month, including a significant spending hike, as it warned China poses the "greatest strategic challenge ever" to its security.
In its largest defence shake-up in decades, Japan vowed to increase security spending to two per cent of GDP by 2027, reshape its military command, and acquire new missiles that can strike far-flung enemy launch sites.
Before arriving in Washington, Kishida will start his diplomatic journey in Paris on Jan 9, followed by stops in Rome, London and Ottawa.
Kishida will host the G7 leaders summit in Hiroshima in May and wants to put achieving a world free of nuclear weapons on the international agenda.
He said he expects the G7 to reaffirm support for Ukraine but also to display "solidarity with the rest of the world" and engage the "global south" on issues such as climate change and food and energy crises.
