Dealing with China, Russia will be emphasized in the Biden-Kishida summit-News Focus bd
US President Joe Biden welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House on Friday. Kishida's visit will emphasize the US-Japan strategic alliance and Russia's war in Ukraine as a growing risk to Japan amid regional security threats primarily from China.
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| US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were present at the event |
Prior to the Biden-Fumio conference, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, along with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Defense Minister Hamada Yasukaze, initiated a series of changes in the defense structure, military training system, and command system. These include the redeployment of US Marine Corps units based in Okinawa.
The changes, announced in Washington on Wednesday, signal that the two allies are increasingly considering the possibility of a war in the Indo-Pacific if China invades Taiwan or North Korea strikes with a nuclear weapon. It also implemented Japan's national security strategy. That strategy was revealed last December. It warned of the possibility that "a critical situation may emerge in the future in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in East Asia". It also called for the creation of a long-range "retaliatory strike" capability capable of striking mainland China.
Kishida's government also plans to double Japan's defense budget to about 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. This would bring Japan into the list of the top five countries in the world in terms of military spending.
The steps have been taken with the support of the US. White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre told VOA at a briefing Wednesday that Japan's "unprecedented" national security strategy and commitment to boost its defenses "will strengthen deterrence in the region, promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and the world."
Wikipedia: Indo-Pacific
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