Washington
CNN
—
President Joe Biden on Wednesday welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s state visit that included a key Oval Office meeting, strengthening a vital partnership in the Indo-Pacific region amid a military and economic resurgence in China. The Prime Minister reinforced his commitment to
More than 70 items covering a wide range of important areas are expected to be announced as part of the bilateral talks between Biden and Kishida, senior administration officials said.
These include a commitment to change the structure of U.S. Forces Japan to improve how they integrate, and a commitment to assess where the two countries can co-produce defense weapons to improve cooperation. Includes items related to the establishment and integration of the Military Industrial Council. Officials say missile defenses are being strengthened between the United States, Australia and Japan.
All of these announcements are part of a major renewal of the two countries’ military alliance, but elements of it include changes to the U.S. military structure that will take months for both countries to work on, a senior official said. Stated. .
Biden spoke on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday morning, declaring a “monumental alliance between our two great democracies.”
“Together, we have built a closer, stronger, more effective relationship than at any time in our history,” Biden said at his official arrival ceremony.
He also acknowledged the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Japan more than 100 years ago, which bloom each spring in Washington, D.C., as a symbol of that alliance. Japan has pledged to plant 250 new trees along the Tidal Basin to commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026.
Biden acknowledged the “tragic” history between Japan and the United States. Mr. Biden visited Hiroshima last year for a summit meeting with G7 leaders and visited the Hiroshima Peace Museum, which records the massive destruction caused by the U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 at the end of World War II. Ta.
Given their bloody history, it would have been easy for the two countries to remain hostile, Biden said.
“Instead, we made a much better choice. We became the closest of friends,” he said.
“Our democracy is a shining beacon of freedom around the world,” Biden added today.
The two leaders also detailed space cooperation as Japan has expressed interest in landing its first astronaut on the moon, and strengthening people-to-people ties as student exchanges between the two countries have lagged in recent years. It is also hoped that they will come up with ways to do so.
Those include a joint artificial intelligence research initiative between Carnegie Mellon University and Keio University in Tokyo, as well as AI-related exchanges between the University of Washington, Washington State University and the University of Tsukuba in Japan, the people said. It is said that it will be done. This includes creating scholarships to provide funds for American high school students to study in and travel to Japan.
However, although the United States and Japan have strengthened their cooperation in various fields, there have been recent differences between the two countries on the economic front, with the president opposing Japan’s efforts to acquire US Steel. There is. Despite the opposition, officials did not expect Mr. Biden to broach the issue directly, indicating they believed the relationship was bigger than a single commercial deal.
The talks will be followed by a first-ever summit between the United States, Japan and the Philippines later this week, with Biden speaking to Pacific allies and allies as the region faces Chinese aggression and North Korea’s nuclear provocations. We will strive to bring partner countries closer together.
According to one senior administration official, all of the deliverables on the agenda are military and military efforts that seek to “flip the script” and counter China’s efforts to isolate U.S. allies like the Philippines and Japan. It is said to be part of a diplomatic and strategic effort.
“The idea of switching to a multilateral grid strategic architecture is to reverse the scenario and isolate China,” the official said.
Japan is seeking support from Biden in the Indo-Pacific, with officials viewing Kishida, who has made major changes in Japan’s defense posture in recent years and provided continued support to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, as a willing partner. It is central to his alliance building efforts. Prime Minister Kishida has pledged to increase defense spending by 2% of GDP by 2037 and has acquired U.S. Tomahawk missiles to increase its counterattack capabilities.
Before entering the White House, President and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the transition team that he saw alliances and partnerships that had “extraordinary potential if the United States would just turn around and embrace them again.” one government official said.
“What we have done is put together a strategy that is designed to help a wide range of allies and partners understand their part and their goals in the Indo-Pacific strategy,” the official said.
The leaders are expected to announce a long list of defense and diplomatic deals during their visit, but officials also sought to highlight more symbolic points.
The National Park Service announced that about 150 cherry trees will be cut down later this spring to make way for the construction of a high sea wall around the basin. Japan first donated trees to Washington in the early 20th century.
A senior Biden administration official said the gift of cherry blossoms from Japan was one of the most important diplomatic gifts in U.S. history, second only to the gift from France of the Statue of Liberty.
“While these initiatives may not seem as important as new military command arrangements or military co-production, I think you will find that they are extremely important to our people.” officials said. Said.
Even as Biden praised the alliance with Japan on Wednesday, officials weighed in on the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the Oval Office and what that could mean for U.S. foreign relations. He acknowledged that there are concerns among U.S. allies about this.
“I think everyone recognizes that there is some anxiety and uncertainty in capital about what the future of U.S. policy is going to be,” the official said. “Whether we remain engaged in the pursuit of internationalism and bipartisan foreign policy efforts that animated the post-World War II and final post-Cold War eras. there is.”
