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Japan PM Kishida concludes 7-day visit to US

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has wrapped up an eventful seven-day visit to the United States.

Kishida held a summit with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday. The two leaders agreed to deepen defense cooperation and strengthen collaboration in a wide range of areas such as economic security and space.

On Thursday, Kishida addressed a joint session of the US Congress. He stressed that Japan will bear greater responsibility in maintaining global order based on freedom and democracy.

The prime minister also attended a trilateral summit with the US and the Philippines. The three leaders agreed to increase maritime security cooperation in response to China's activities in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

Kishida then visited Toyota and Honda automobile factories in North Carolina.

The prime minister spoke to reporters before leaving the US. He said he was able to send a message to Congress, the American people and the world about what kind of future Japan and the US, as partners, are going to pass on to the next generation.

Kishida was the first Japanese prime minister in nine years to receive hospitality normally reserved for a state guest. He left the US on a return flight early on Sunday morning, Japan time.

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Biden hosts Kishida in official visit as US, Japan bolster defense ties

• By Patsy Widakuswara

From cherry trees to collective deterrence, the United States and Japan celebrated their decadeslong alliance Wednesday, as President Joe Biden hosted Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House for an official visit and state dinner.

The leaders announced new initiatives on technology and defense, including an upgrade of allied command-and-control arrangements for American and Japanese forces, new investments and partnerships on space, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, semiconductors and clean energy.

But the strongest focus was on military deterrence to enhance maritime cooperation in the South China Sea, as well as air defense.

"For the first time, Japan and the United States and Australia will create a network system of air missile and defense architecture,” Biden said.

The leaders signed a deal for Japan to provide a rover to support astronauts working on the moon. The U.S. will allocate two astronaut flight opportunities to the lunar surface for Japan on NASA’s future Artemis missions.

One of those Japanese astronauts, Biden said, “will become the first non-American ever to land on the moon.”

Biden called Kishida a “visionary and courageous leader” for the steps he has taken to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. He commended Kishida’s push to bolster Japan’s defense capabilities.

Tokyo has increased defense spending and intensified joint military exercises with the United States and other regional allies, turning it into a key player in what the Biden administration calls its “lattice-like strategic architecture” to bolster deterrence against adversaries.

Biden, Kishida bolster defense ties in Japanese PM's official US visit

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Kishida, speaking through an interpreter, reaffirmed that his government was ready to become a “global partner” in tackling the challenges of the region and around the world.

However, Biden and Kishida must navigate a key irritant — Nippon Steel plans to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. Biden has indicated his opposition to the deal, a thorny issue ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November.

At their joint press conference, both leaders sought to downplay the issue.

Biden reaffirmed his “commitment” to American workers as well as to the alliance. Kishida announced new Japanese investments in the U.S., including $8 billion by Toyota to increase battery production in North Carolina.

New U.S. private investments in Japan were also announced, including $2.9 billion by Microsoft on artificial intelligence and cloud computing, and $15 billion by Amazon Web Services to expand cloud infrastructure.

Trilateral summit

The leaders will take part in a trilateral summit on Thursday with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, another key regional ally. The U.S.-Japan-Philippines trilateral meeting will focus on freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

“The idea of switching to a multilateral, lattice-like strategic architecture is then to flip the script and isolate China,” a senior administration official said during a briefing to reporters Tuesday.

“When you have, like we did this week, the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines doing an exercise together, when you have the trilat on Thursday, the country that’s isolated is China, not the Philippines.”

Last year, Biden hosted a similar trilateral meeting with Japan and South Korea to deal with the threat from North Korea. Kishida had taken a “bold” step, Biden said Wednesday, to allow the two former enemies “to heal all wounds.”

Such arrangements have been supported by the Japanese people, who feel their security is increasingly threatened by China, North Korea and Russia, said former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Tom Schieffer.

"The war in Ukraine has precipitated a lot of this, because it brought back the memory that aggression is not something that's out of the question in the 21st century,” he told VOA.

Wednesday’s meeting was the 12th in-person engagement Biden has had with Kishida since taking office and was a major milestone for the two countries, once bitter enemies during World War II. It marked a historical shift in defense ties from “alliance protection to alliance projection,” the official said.

“When it’s either the Quad or either one of the trilats, or whether it’s a military exercise with the Philippines, the constant in all this by our side is Japan. That did not exist five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago,” the official said. “This is the new norm.”

The Quad refers to the quadrilateral strategic security dialogue among Australia, India, Japan and the United States.

Of the many security initiatives announced Wednesday, the most significant was the restructuring of the alliance in Japan, including the revamping of the command-and-control structures that would allow greater interoperability between American and Japanese forces, said John Hemmings, senior associate director at the Pacific Forum.

In addition to a more capable Self-Defense Forces, the restructuring will address Japan’s coast guard and other agencies that may be civilian in nature but will be crucial to naval deterrence, Hemmings told VOA.

Those agencies are on the front lines of maritime spaces, where “Chinese ships, Chinese fishing militia and Chinese navy forces are constantly pushing on its neighbor’s sovereign territory.”

US, UK, Australia considering cooperation with Japan on AUKUS pact

Regional deterrence

Biden and Kishida discussed Japan’s potential involvement under “Pillar II” of AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership formed in 2021 among the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom to strengthen deterrence against China.

The focus is on advanced capabilities and sharing technologies, including quantum computing, undersea capabilities, hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence and cyber technology. It takes the group’s effort to push back against China beyond its first pillar — delivery of nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday confirmed plans for trilateral joint naval patrols by the U.S., Japan and the Philippines in the South China Sea, another move likely to trigger a strong reaction from Beijing.

China said it opposes “cobbling together exclusive groupings and stoking bloc confrontation in the region.”

"Japan needs to earnestly draw lessons from history and stay prudent on military and security issues,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during her briefing Tuesday.

Kishida’s visit caps state visits by leaders of the Quad, hosted by Biden since taking office. The only other state visit hosted by Biden was for President Emmanuel Macron of France - underscoring Biden’s focus on Indo-Pacific security partnerships.

Kishida also will participate in a cherry tree-planting ceremony at Washington’s Tidal Basin, where thousands of cherry trees gifted by the Japanese government in 1912 delight tourists with their blossoms each spring. Tokyo has offered to replace the hundreds of trees that have had to be removed because of repairs to the Tidal Basin.

VOA’s Young Gyo Kim contributed to this report.

Biden-Kishida summit aims for deeper, more regionally integrated US-Japan security ties

Biden to host leaders of Japan, Philippines in trilateral summit

US official talks AUKUS expansion ahead of summit with Japan

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All About America

The day in photos.

April 19, 2024

Fumio Kishida Travels to the United States as Prime Minister of a More Assertive Japan

E mbattled Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida travels to the White House on Friday for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden that promises to deepen the two nations’ security alliance amid rising tensions with China and North Korea.

It will be Kishida’s first meeting with Biden since December’s announcement of Japan’s biggest military build-up since World War II, and it follows whistlestop visits by Kishida to Britain, France, Italy, and Canada—industrial powers that Japan will host at a G7 summit in Hiroshima in May.

On Friday, Kishida and Biden are expected to discuss Japan’s plans to acquire missiles able to strike targets across East Asia, efforts to limit China’s access to advanced technology like semiconductors, and strategies to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the two leaders will also agree to new cooperation on thwarting potential threats from space, reconfiguring U.S. troop deployments on Japan’s island of Okinawa, and developing uninhabited islands for joint military drills.

“The big message here is the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance,” says Jeffery Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University in Japan. Kishida, he says, “has basically pushed through a major transformation in Japan’s security policy.”

The trip is also seen as key to restoring domestic credibility for Kishida, who took office in 2021, following a slew of scandals—over resignations by senior colleagues and his Liberal Democratic Party’s ties to the cult-like Unification Church —which have seen his cabinet’s approval rating plummet from 53% in June to 25% in December .

Japan’s new military posture

In December, Japan revised three key defense policy documents, including the National Security Strategy, drastically boosting its military spending while acquiring capabilities to preemptively strike enemy bases in a major departure from its pacifist constitution.

Japan’s draft budget for next year includes $1.58 billion for U.S.-made long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles amid a stated aim to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027 —a figure in line with NATO targets. Although Japan is not a NATO member, Kishida attended a summit of the military alliance in June as an observer and considers the country a stakeholder in the Ukraine conflict given its disputed maritime border with Russia.

The shifting military posture also comes as Beijing ramps up military exercises near neighboring Taiwan and as North Korea launched a record number of missile tests last year (many of which passed over Japan). Last month, Kishida agreed to develop a new fighter jet with the U.K. and Italy , and he signed a deal with the former that will allow visits by each other’s armed forces.

These moves all align with the Biden administration’s call for Japan to play a bolder role in regional security.

“The United States needs the Indo-Pacific region to be prosperous and secure in order for the United States itself to be prosperous and secure,” a senior State Department official tells TIME.

Focus on Taiwan

Beijing’s military assertiveness around self-ruling Taiwan—which China claims as its sovereign territory—has unsettled Japan and the U.S., not least since China and Moscow held joint military drills in the East China Sea just last month.

In a joint statement, Washington and Tokyo said China presents an “unprecedented” threat to the international order. “China’s foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order to its benefit and to employ China’s growing political, economic, military, and technological power to that end,” it said.

Beijing launched unprecedented military drills encircling Taiwan—some less than 10 miles from its coast—in August following a visit by then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In an ominous sign, new Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he plans to follow suit , which would no doubt prompt a similar furious reaction from Beijing.

Biden will also hope to persuade Kishida to limit cooperation with China on new technology-driven industries such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and, particularly, semiconductor chips . Although Kishida has said he backs Biden’s export restrictions on semiconductors to China imposed in October, he has not yet agreed to match the curbs given the potential for economic retribution from China, Japan’s largest trade partner.

Setting the scene for the G7

It’s no coincidence that Kishida’s weeklong tour focuses on nations belonging to the G7, for which he will host a summit in his home city of Hiroshima in May. Since Japan’s defeat in World War II, its constitution has enshrined the principle that it will not wage war. Yet Kishida will hope to use the optics of the formerly nuclear-ravaged city—where an estimated 70,000-140,000 people died after the atomic bombing of Aug. 6, 1945—to press home the magnitude of new threats on its borders.

Not only has Russian President Vladimir Putin openly threatened nuclear war against the U.S. and its allies, but experts believe North Korea is rapidly preparing for a seventh nuclear test. “Politically, the symbolism is very important,” says Kingston.

The G7 will also be important to secure Kishida’s political future. An impending $7 billion tax hike to pay for the military expansion means there’s been no shortage of criticism. Kishida, says Airo Hino, a professor of political science at Tokyo’s Waseda University, “ would like to balance that out by making diplomatic progress with other leaders at the G7 summit.” Hino says that an expected popularity boost following the summit may even prompt Kishida to call a snap election to assert his mandate.

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Write to Charlie Campbell / Singapore at [email protected]

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Remarks by President   Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan in Joint Press   Conference

Rose Garden

1:23 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Please, have a seat.

It’s an honor to stand here today with the Prime Minister of Japan, President Kishi- — Prime Minister Kishida. 

When I became president, I said that the United States would rebuild the muscle of our demo- — democratic alliances and we’d stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies again, because our alliances are America’s greatest asset.  The relationship with Japan is powerful proof of that — that in investing in our alliance and raising our collective ambitions, we yield remarkable results.

Over the last three years, the partnership between Japan and the United States has been transformed into a truly global partnership.  And that’s thanks in no small part to the courageous leadership of Prime Minister Kishida.  And I mean that sincerely.

Together, our countries are taking significant steps to strengthen defense and security cooperation, we’re modernizing command and control structures, and we’re increasing the interoperability and planning of our militaries so they can work together in a seamless and effective way.

This is the most significant upgrade in our alliance since the end — since it was first established. 

I’m also pleased to announce that for the first time, Japan and the United States and Australia will create a networked system of air, missile, and defense architecture.  We’re also looking forward to standing up a trilateral military exercise with Japan and the United Kingdom. 

And our AUKUS defense partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom is exploring how Japan can join our work in the second pillar, which focuses on advanced capabilities, including AI, autonomous systems.  All told, that represents a new benchmark for our military cooperation across a range of capabilities.

On the economic front, our ties have never been more robust.  Japan is the top foreign investor in the United States.  Say that again: Japan is the top foreign investor in the United States.  And we, the United States, are the top foreign investor in Japan. Nearly 1 million Americans work in Japanese companies here in the United States.

And to name just one example, a few months ago, Toyota announced an $8 billion investment in a massive battery production facility in North Carolina, which will inc- — employ thousands of people.  The Prime Minister is going to travel to North Carolina tomorrow to visit that project. 

Don’t stay.  Don’t stay.  We need you back in Japan.  (Laughter.)  They’ll probably try to keep you.

We also affirmed the science and education ties between Japan and the United States.  Those tries — ties stretch up to the moon, where two Japanese astronauts will join future American missions, and one will become the first non-American ever to land on the moon. 

And they reach into the high schools and universities, as well, where the Mineta Ambassadors — Minetas Program exists, named for our dear friend Norm Mineta.  We’re going to invest in new student exchanges, help train the next generation of Japanese and American leaders.  

We also discussed developments in the Middle East, including our shared support for a ceasefire and a hostage deal and urgent efforts to deal with the humanitarian crisis that exists in Gaza. 

We also want to address the Iranian threat to launch a sign- — they — they’re threatening to launch a significant attack on Israel.  As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad.  Let me say it again: ironclad.  We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.

And, finally, I want to commend the Prime Minister himself.  He is a statesman.  Command — you know, the fact is that you condemned Putin’s invasion of — brutal invasion of Ukraine when it happened.  You pledged more than $12 billion in aid; prioritizing nuclear nonproliferation at the United Nations Security Council; standing strong with the United States as we stand up for freedom of navigation, including in the South China Sea and as we maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits; and taking the brave step of mending ties with the Republic of Korea so we can all stand shoulder to shoulder together.

Tomorrow, we will both be joined by another good friend, President Marcos of the Philippines, for a trilateral summit — the first of its kind. 

And through it all, our commitment to the defense of Japan under Article 5, including the Sena- — excuse me — Senkaku Islands, is unwavering.

Mr. Prime Minister, through our partnership, we have strengthened this alliance.  We have expanded our work together.  We have raised our shared ambitions.  And now, the U.S.-Japan alliance is a beacon to the entire world. 

There’s no limit to what our countries can and our people can do together. 

So, thank you for your partnership, your leadership, and your friendship. 

And now, over to you, Mr. Prime Minister.

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA:  Thank you, Joe.

(As interpreted.)  President Biden and I have met and talked countless times and confirmed our shared notion that we are at crucial crossroads and that Japan-U.S. partnership is immensely important. 

The international community stands at a historical turning point.  In order for Japan, the U.S., the Indo-Pacific region, and, for that matter, the whole world to enjoy peace, stability, and prosperity lasting into the future, we must resolutely defend and further solidify a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

And again, today, I told the President that now is the time to demonstrate the true values that Japan and the United States can offer as global partners, that we must together fulfill our responsibilities to create a world where human dignity is upheld and that Japan will always stand firm with the United States.

I explained that, based on our national security strategy, Japan is determined to strengthen our defense force through position of counterstrike capabilities, increase our defense budget and other initiatives, and was reassured by President Biden of his strong support for such efforts.

In such context, we confirmed again the urgency to further bolster the deterrence and response capabilities of our alliance and concurred on reinforcing our security and defense cooperation to increase interoperability between the U.S. forces and our self-defense forces, including the improvement of our respective command-and-control frameworks.

We will be discussing the specifics as we plan for the next Japan-U.S. two-plus-two.

The President and I went on to discuss various specific challenges faced by the international community. 

First, we confirmed that unilateral attempts to change status quo by force or coercion is absolutely unacceptable, wherever it may be, and that we will continue to respond resolutely against such action through cooperation with allies and likeminded nations.

From such perspective, we agreed that our two countries will continue to respond to challenges concerning China through close coordination.  At the same time, we confirmed the importance of continuing our dialogue with China and cooperating with China on common challenges.

We also underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and confirmed our position to encourage peaceful resolution of the Cross-Straits issue.

The situation in North Korea, including nuclear and missiles development, was brought up as well.  We welcomed the progress seen in many areas of cooperation based on the outcome of the Japan-U.S.-ROK summit last August and concurred to coordinate even more closely as we face serious concerns under the current state of affairs.

President Biden once again demonstrated his strong support towards the immediate resolution of the abduction issue.

We reaffirmed the importance of realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law and concurred to maintain close collaboration through various opportunities, including the Japan-U.S.-Philippines summit, which is planned for tomorrow.

Regarding Russia’s aggression of Ukraine, based on

a recognition that Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow — taking the issue as our own problem for Japan, I expressed our resolution to continue with stringent sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine.  And we concurred to maintain close partnership with likeminded countries.

On the situation in the Middle East, I expressed my respect for the efforts of President Biden towards the release of the hostages, improvement of the humanitarian situation, and for calming down the situation.  I then explained how Japan is continuing diplomatic efforts to improve the humanitarian situation and to realize a sustainable ceasefire

and agreed to continue close cooperation towards the improvement of the situation, the realization of a two-state solution, and the stabilization of the region.

Regarding the economy, we firstly concurred that for both of us to lead the global economic growth together, the promotion of investment in both directions is important.  I explained how Japanese businesses are making a significant contribution to the U.S. economy by the investment and the creation of jobs, to which President Biden agreed.

In order to maintain and strengthen the competitive edge in the area of advanced technologies and to respond appropriately to issues such as economic coercion, non-market policies and practices, and excess capacities and to overcome the vulnerability of the supply chains and to lead a sustainable and inclusive economic growth, we affirmed that the collaboration of Japan and the United States is indispensable. 

In addition, we concurred to advance our cooperation in the areas such as decarbonization, AI, and start-ups. 

There was a huge achievement also in the area of space.  In the first half of the 1960s, when I was in the United States, it was the dawn of space development in the United States.  I am one of all those who were so excited in the U.S. by the spectacular challenge in space. 

The implementing arrangement has been signed on this occasion and the provision of the lunar rover by Japan and the allocation of two astronaut flight opportunities to the lunar surface to Japan were confirmed.  Under the Artemis program, I welcome the lunar landing by a Japanese astronaut as the first non-U.S. astronaut. 

We also discussed the efforts towards a world without nuclear weapons.  We affirmed the realistic and practical endeavors of nuclear disarmament, including the issuance of the G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision last year.  And I welcomed the participation of the United States in the FMCT Friends, which was launched by my initiative. 

Lastly, in order to further strengthen the people-to-people bond, which is the cornerstone of our unwavering Japan-U.S. relationship, we affirmed to further promote people-to-people exchanges. 

As the outcome of our meeting today, we will issue the joint statement titled “The Global Partners for the Future.”  This is the expression of the determination of Japan and the United States to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law that underpins the peace, stability, and prosperity of the international community and states the guiding principles. 

With our partnership, we will defend the future of Japan and the United States, the Indo-Pacific, and the world and make that future all the more prosperous. 

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Thank you.  Now we’ll take a few questions. 

Jordan Fabian of Bloomberg. 

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Last month, you predicted the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates thanks to falling inflation.  But today, data showed that inflation rose more than expected for the third straight month.  So, how concerned are you about the fight against inflation stalling?  And do you stand by your prediction for a rate cut?

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, I do stand by my prediction that before the year is out there will a rate cut.  This may delay it a month or so.  I’m not sure of that.  I don’t — we don’t know what the Fed is going to do for certain. 

But, look, we have dramatically reduced inflation from 9 percent down to close to 3 percent.  We’re in a situation where we’re better situated than we were when we took office where we — inflation was skyrocketing.  And we have a plan to deal with it, whereas the opposition — my opposition talks about two things.  They just want to cut taxes for the wealthy and raise taxes on other people. 

And so, I think they’re — they have no plan.  Our plan is one I think is still sustainable. 

Q    Mr. Prime Minister, you said that the Nippon Steel acquisition of U.S. Steel is a private matter.  But I’m wondering: Did you discuss the matter today with President Biden?  And do you believe that politics are influencing President Biden’s decision to oppose the deal?

And I wouldn’t mind, Mr. President, if you answer that one too. 

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA:  (As interpreted.)  On the issue that you have raised, we understand that discussions are underway between the parties.  We hope these discussions will unfold in directions that would be positive for both sides. 

Japan believes that appropriate procedures based on law is being implemented by the U.S. government.  Japan is the largest investor to the United States.  Japanese businesses employ close to 1 million workers in the United States.  And investment from Japan to the U.S. can only increase upwards in the months and years to come. 

And we wish to cement this win-win relationship.  Thank you. 

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  I stand by my commitment to American workers.  I ca- — a man of my word, I’m going to keep it.  And with regard to that, I stand by our commitment to our alliance.  This is exactly what we’re doing — a strong alliance as well. 

Q    Nakakuki of Kyodo News.  My question is to both Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden.  At the summit, you confirmed your strong objections against unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion by China and agreed on reinforcing response capabilities. 

Under current circumstances, should Japan and the United States bolster defense capabilities?  China may become more preoccupied in military expansion and intensify its coercive behavior.  That is the risk of (inaudible).  In order to avoid divide and expa- — avoid the divide, how should Japan and U.S. respond?

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA:  (As interpreted.)  Let me then take that question first.  At this summit, we confirmed that the United States and Japan will resolutely defend and bolster a free and open international order based on the rule of law and that Japan and the United States, as global partners, shall work together for that purpose.

On challenges concerning China, including the point you raised on objecting to unilateral attempts to change status quo by force or coercion, we concurred that Japan and the United States as global partners shall work in close coordination. 

And also, as I said previously, we will continue our dialogue with China and we will cooperate with China in tackling common challenges.  And the President and I confirmed the importance of such dialogue as well. 

Based on the solid trust with our ally, the United States, we will continue to call on China to fulfill its responsibilities as a major power. 

Japan’s policy, which I have consistently embraced, is to comprehensively promote the mutual strategic relationship we have with China and establish a constructive and stable Japan-China relationship through efforts by both sides.  That has been my consistent position that I have upheld.  We will continue to seek close communication with China at all levels. 

That’s it for me.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  You know, first of all, we keep improving our lines of communications with one another — and that’s the United States and China.  We — I’ve met — I’ve recently spoken at length with President Xi.  And we’ve agreed that we would, number one, have personal contact with one another whenever we want to discuss to anything so there’d be no — nothing lipped — nothing slips between, as they say — between the cup and the lip, so we know exactly what the other team is thinking.  Number one. 

And so, we had a long discussion last — now almost — I guess almost two weeks ago now.  And — the best way to reduce the chances of miscalculation and misunderstanding.  That’s number one. 

Number two, in our alliance we have with Japan — is a purely defensive in nature.  It’s a defensive alliance.  And the things we discussed today improve our cooperation and are — and are purely about defense and readiness.  It’s not aimed at any one nation or a threat to the region.  And it — it doesn’t have anything to do with conflict.  And so, this is about restoring stability in the region.  And I think we have a chance of doing that. 

Okay.  Third que- — the next question.  Who — who do I call on next?  Hang on a second.  I got my list here.  Hang on.  I apologize. 

Aurelia of AFP.

Q    Thank you.  My first question would go to both of you, Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister.  Is there a path for Japan to become a full member of AUKUS? 

And I would have a second question for you, Mr. President.  You’re now saying that Benjamin Netanyahu is making a mistake in Gaza.  What are you willing to do to make him change his strategy?  And would you consider conditioning military aid to Israel?  Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA:  (As interpreted.)  Thank you.  Your question about AUKUS, I will respond.  Our country — we want to contribute to the peace and stability of the region.  And therefore, we have consistently supported AUKUS. 

Having said that, the participants of AUKUS — U.S., UK, Australia — with such countries’ bi- — bilateral relationship or in multilateral occasions, we have established various relationships.  But for Japan, to have a direct cooperation with AUKUS, nothing has been decided at this moment.

Going forward with U.S., UK, or with Australia — with such countries, in bilateral or multilateral frameworks, we will continue our cooperation so that they will continue to be considered.

At the moment, about the relationship between Japan and AUKUS, that’s it.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  With regard to my discussions with Bibi Netanyahu — Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as our relationship with Israel, I have been very blunt and straightforward with the Prime Minister, as well as his War Cabinet, as well as the Cabinet. 

And the fact of the matter is that Bibi and I had a long discussion.  He agreed to do several things that related to, number one, getting more aid — both food and medicine — into Gaza and reducing significantly the attempts — the civilian casualties in any action taken in the region. 

And thus far — and we — and it’s tied to the hostages.  There are a number of hostages that are being held by a — by the — Hamas.  And just yesterday, we were meeting with the Vice President and our National Security Advisor before that, and they — and there are American hostages as well.  And they know how committed we are — the whole team — to getting their loved ones home, and we’re not going to stop until we do.

The new proposal on the table — Bill Burns led the effort to — for us, and we’re grateful for his work — there’s a now — up to Hamas.  They need to move on the proposal that’s been made.  And as I said, it would get these hostages home where they belong but also bring back a six-week cea- — ceasefire that we need now. 

And the fact is that we’re — they’re getting in somewhere, in the last three days, over a hundred trucks.  It’s not enough.  But it needs to be — be more, and there’s one more opening that has to take place in the north. 

So, we’ll see what he does in terms of meeting the commitments he made to me. 

Okay —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  This will be the last reporter. 

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA:  (As interpreted.)  Mr. Shimizu, please.

Q    (As interpreted.)  Thank you.  Shimizu of NHK.  I ask the question to both of you. 

As Prime Minister Kishida mentioned, the abduction issue of North Korea, I believe, was discussed.  Prime Minister, you have expressed your wish to have a direct engagement with Kim Jong Un.  But they say that abduction is already result, which means that they are refusing.  During the meeting, what did you tell President Biden about the outlook of a summit?  And what engagement did you ask President Biden?

President Biden, my question: What did you hear from Prime Minister Kishida?  And what is your observation and feeling, your President, with the nuclear missile issues?  What is your position?  Do you support the summit between Japan and North Korea?  Thank you. 

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA:  (As interpreted.)  First of all, if I may start, regarding my summit meeting with President Biden about North Korea, including the missile and nuclear issues we have discussed, and regarding the increasingly worrying situation, we have agreed to continue a close coordination. 

And on top of that, we concurred that the window of a discussion with North Korea is open.  And we discussed that Japan, U.S. — Japan, U.S., and ROK will continue to work closely together. 

I also asked for the continued understanding and cooperation for the immediate resolution of the abduction issue.  And President Biden once again gave myself a very strong assurance regarding the recent announcement by North Korea.

I will refrain from commenting on each and every announcement by North Korea.  But as I have been mentioning repeatedly, based on the perspective that the establishment of a meaningful relationship between Japan and North Korea is in the interest of both Japan and North Korea and that it could be hugely beneficial to the peace and stability of the region, my policy is to aim for a summit meeting with North Korea to resolve various issues and will advise high-level consultation directly under my instruction.  And that remains unchanged.  That is my response.

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  We did discuss this issue.  We both agreed the DPRK must — must also address the serious human rights and humanitarian concerns of the international community, including the immediate resolution of the abduction issue.

But, you know, the Prime Minister has just spoken to the potential of what his plans may mean.  But welcome — I welcome the opportunity — we welcome the opportunity of our allies to initiate dialogue with the Democratic Republic of Korea.

As I’ve said many times, we’re open to dialogue ourselves at any time wi- — but without preconditions from the DPRK.  So, I have faith in the — in the — Japan.  I have faith in the Prime Minister.  And I think his seeking a dialogue with them is a good thing.  It’s a positive thing. 

Q    Sir, on the issue of abortion — 

Q    What will you do if Israel invades Rafah?

Q    On the issue of abortion, sir, what do you say to the people of Arizona?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  This concludes the press conference.  Thanks, everybody.

Q    Mr. President, are the American hostages alive?

(Cross-talk.)

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Why doesn’t everybody holler at once?

Q    I’ll ask you briefly.  On the issue of abortion, sir, respectfully, what do you say to the people of Arizona right now who are witnessing a law go in place that dates back to the Civil War era? 

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Elect me.  I’m in the 20 — it’s the 20th century — 21st century, not back then.  They weren’t even a state.  I find —

Q    Sir, how does the —

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  I —

Q    Mr. President, how does the war in Ukraine come to an end?

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Thank you.  Thank you all very much.  Thank you.

Q    Can you elaborate on what mistake Netanyahu is making, sir? MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Thanks, everybody.

Q    How does the war in Ukraine come to an end, sir?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  This concludes the press conference.

(Cross-talk.) 

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  By the House — by the Hou- — the war in Ukraine comes to an end by the House Leader allowing a vote.  There’s overwhelming support for Ukraine among the majority of Democrats and Republicans.  There should be a vote now.

Q    Are the American hostages alive?

Q    Will you reconsider the LNG export ban, sir?

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  There is no ban to Japan. 

1:53 P.M. EDT

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Visit to the United States : First Day

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What's expected at Japanese PM Kishida's US visit? A major upgrade in defense ties

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making an official visit to the United States this week

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making an official visit to the United States this week. He will hold a summit with President Joe Biden that's meant to achieve a major upgrading of their defense alliance.

He will also join a first-ever summit of the U.S., Japan ese and Philippine leaders in Washington to showcase their cooperation in the face of an increasingly assertive China .

The Associated Press explains the significance of Kishida’s visit and the two summits.

The biggest event during the weeklong trip is his summit with Biden on Wednesday. Kishida hopes to further strengthen the alliance as China's influence grows in the Indo-Pacific.

Kishida is also reaching out to the American public to showcase Japan’s contribution to the U.S. economy and ensure stable relations regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election later this year.

Kishida, who has pushed sweeping changes fortifying Japan’s defense capabilities since taking office in 2021, will emphasize that Japan and the U.S. are now global partners working to maintain a rules-based international order, and that Japan is willing to take on a greater international role in security, economy and space to help Washington.

Expanding arms equipment and technology cooperation between the two countries and other like-minded partners is also highly important, Kishida on Friday told selected media, including AP.

Kishida, stung by a corruption scandal, needs a successful U.S. visit to shore up low support ratings at home.

As a state guest, Kishida will be welcomed in a White House arrival ceremony on the South Lawn, a formal state dinner and other official events. He is the fifth state guest of Biden, who has also hosted leaders of India, Australia , South Korea and France, underscoring America’s focus on Indo-Pacific security partnerships.

Kishida is the first Japanese leader to make a state visit since Shinzo Abe in 2015. Abe made a major revision to the interpretation of Japan’s pacifist Constitution, allowing its self-defense-only principle to also cover its ally, the United States.

Defense tops the agenda because of growing worries about threats from China, North Korea and Russia. Chinese coast guard ships regularly approach disputed Japanese-controlled East China Sea islands near Taiwan. Beijing says Taiwan is part of its territory and will be brought under control by force if necessary.

There are also worries about North Korean nuclear and missile threats and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kishida has warned that the war in Europe could lead to conflict in East Asia, suggesting that a lax attitude to Russia emboldens China.

“While we maintain the Japan-U.S. alliance as a cornerstone, we believe it is important to cooperate with like-minded countries, including the Philippines,” Kishida said.

Biden and Kishida are expected to agree on a plan to modernize their military command structures so they can better operate together. America stations 50,000 troops in Japan. The Japanese Self Defense Force is preparing to restructure so it has a unified command for ground, air and naval forces by March 2025.

Also expected are new initiatives for defense industry cooperation, including co-production of weapons, possibly a new missile, and the repair and maintenance of American warships and other equipment in Japan to help U.S. operations in the western Pacific.

Japan’s possible participation in a U.S.-U.K.-Australia security partnership to develop and share advanced military capabilities, including artificial intelligence , electronic warfare and hypersonics, may also come up.

Kishida and Biden are also expected to confirm Japan’s participation in NASA’s Artemis moon program and its contribution of a moon rover developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and the inclusion of a Japanese astronaut. The rover, which comes at a roughly $2 billion cost, is the most expensive contribution to the mission by a non-U.S. partner to date, a U.S. official said.

Since adopting a more expansive national security strategy in 2022, Kishida’s government has taken bold steps to accelerate Japan’s military buildup. He hopes to show Tokyo is capable of elevating its security cooperation with the U.S. Kishida has pledged to double defense spending and boost deterrence against China, which Japan considers a top security threat.

Japan, working to acquire what it calls a “counterstrike” capability, has purchased 400 U.S. Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles. After prohibiting almost all weapons transfers, it has relaxed export guidelines twice in recent months, allowing the sale of lethal weapons to countries from which they were licensed and the overseas sales of a fighter jet it’s co-developing with the U.K. and Italy. The changes have allowed Japan to ship Japanese-made PAC-3 missiles to the U.S. to help replace those contributed by Washington to Ukraine.

The first-ever trilateral summit between Biden, Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. comes as the Philippines faces escalating maritime tension with China over their contested South China Sea claims.

Biden wants to show that the three maritime democracies are unified as they face aggressive Chinese action against the Philippine coast guard and its supply vessels off the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, according to a senior Biden administration official.

Japan has sold coastal radars to the Philippines and is now negotiating a defense agreement that would allow their troops to visit each other’s turf for joint military exercises.

The trilateral comes eight months after Biden hosted a meeting with leaders from Japan and South Korea at Camp David.

“Cooperation among our three countries are extremely important in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and in defending a free and open international order based on the rules of law,” Kishida said Monday before leaving for Washington.

Kishida also wants to highlight Japan’s economic contributions in the U.S. There is growing uncertainty in Tokyo about U.S. elections, reflected by questions about what happens if former President Donald Trump wins, though experts say there is a bipartisan consensus on a stronger U.S.-Japan alliance.

Kishida will meet with business leaders and visit Toyota’s electric vehicle battery factory under construction for a planned launch in 2025, and Honda’s business jet subsidiary in North Carolina. He will also meet students at North Carolina State University on Friday.

In his congressional speech on Thursday, Kishida said he plans to convey “what Japan and the United States want to hand down to future generations and what we need to do for them.”

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Japanese Prime Minister Arrives in U.S. for State Visit

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived at Joint Base Andrews for a state visit to the United States , during which he was to hold bilateral talks with President Biden , attend a state dinner, and address a joint meeting of Congress.

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Biden and Kishida Agree to Tighten Military and Economic Ties to Counter China

President Biden is hosting Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, for a state visit as part of a broad diplomatic outreach.

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By Peter Baker and Michael D. Shear

Reporting from the White House Rose Garden

President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced a range of moves on Wednesday to further enhance military, economic and other cooperation between the two longtime allies as part of the president’s efforts to counter China’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region.

During a pomp-filled ceremony honoring the visiting Japanese prime minister, the president said the United States and Japan would create an expanded defense architecture with Australia, participate in three-way military exercises with Britain and explore ways for Japan to join a U.S.-led coalition with Australia and Britain.

Mr. Biden also announced that the United States would take a Japanese astronaut to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program, which would be the first time a non-American has set foot on the moon.

“This is the most significant upgrade of our alliance since it was first established,” Mr. Biden said at a news conference in the White House Rose Garden along with the prime minister.

Mr. Kishida made a point of reaffirming Japan’s “strong support for Ukraine” in its war against Russia, a key priority for Mr. Biden, and framed the European conflict in terms of the precedent it could set in Japan’s neighborhood. “Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow,” Mr. Kishida said.

Biden Hosts Japan’s Prime Minister at the White House

President biden called the united states and japan “the closest of friends” during a welcoming ceremony for prime minister fumio kishida..

Just a few generations ago, our two nations were locked in a devastating conflict. It would have been easy to say we remain adversaries. Instead, we made a far better choice: We became the closest of friends. Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Kishida, welcome back to the White House.

Mr. Biden’s statements on Wednesday fit into a long history of American presidents declaring that the U.S.-Japan relationship was the most important bilateral alliance in the world.

In preparation for the state visit, Mr. Biden’s aides described the closer military link as one of the biggest upgrades of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, which dates back to early 1960, an Eisenhower-era innovation to turn a former World War II enemy into what later presidents called America’s “biggest aircraft carrier in the Pacific.”

There has always been a bit of hyperbole to the statement. But as the perceived threat from China has grown, Japan has been the linchpin of broader U.S. efforts to unify its separate allies in the region — especially South Korea and the Philippines — into a coordinated force.

The prime minister’s visit comes at the same time Mr. Biden is strengthening the American partnership with the Philippines, which also finds itself the target of a mounting Chinese military presence in the South China Sea. On Thursday, Mr. Biden and Mr. Kishida will meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines to demonstrate their joint commitment.

The day began with a welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn, where Mr. Biden hailed the relationship between the United States and Japan as a “cornerstone of peace, security, prosperity” and said that President Eisenhower’s promise of an “indestructible partnership” had been achieved.

“Just a few generations ago, our two nations were locked in a devastating conflict,” Mr. Biden said after he and Mr. Kishida watched a procession of U.S. military honor guards upon the prime minister’s arrival at the White House. “It would have been easy to say we remain adversaries. Instead, we made a far better choice: We became the closest of friends.”

The Biden administration signaled the importance of its relationship with Tokyo by holding an official state dinner on Wednesday evening in honor of Mr. Kishida, something reserved for America’s closest allies.

The visit comes amid hand-wringing in Washington and Tokyo over the possibility of a return to power by former President Donald J. Trump, whose unpredictable foreign policy kept many world leaders on edge. One goal for Mr. Biden, officials said, is to create as much permanence in the Japanese relationship as possible before the election in November.

One administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the upcoming meeting, said there was “anxiety in capitals” around the world, including in Tokyo, about whether Mr. Trump would continue the international engagement that Mr. Biden and prior presidents have embraced. Another official said there was a real risk that Mr. Trump, if re-elected, could move to undo what the leaders of the two countries announced on Wednesday.

Mr. Biden and Mr. Kishida outlined greater coordination and integration between the military forces of both countries, including the formation of a joint defense council that could support more defense-related exports of equipment produced in Japan. And officials agreed on new cooperation on ventures in space and collaboration between research institutions working on artificial intelligence, semiconductors and clean energy.

“The American alliance system has helped bring peace and stability to the Indo-Pacific for decades, and now we need to update and upgrade that alliance network for the modern age,” said Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser. “It goes way beyond security. It’s economics. It’s technology. It’s infrastructure development. And it’s diplomacy. And that’s all going to be on display in the meeting with the prime minister.”

Rahm Emanuel, the United States ambassador to Japan, called the meeting a chance for the two nations to go beyond America’s work to protect Japan and to “write the first chapter of the next era” of cooperation as they work together to project power throughout the region.

That would be a more far-reaching relationship than the United States has historically had with Japan, which for decades after World War II restricted its spending on defense and its engagement around the world.

That began to change during the past several years, under Mr. Kishida, who pushed to expand defense spending and participate in global efforts like the sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Administration officials said Japan’s new willingness to become a full partner with the United States on the global stage has taken the alliance between the two countries to a new level.

But there are still some tensions. The two leaders had to dance carefully around Mr. Biden’s reluctance to let a Japanese firm buy a storied U.S. steel maker. That struck national security experts as strange, since such deals are usually blocked only when they give critical technology to adversaries, not allies.

“The idea that you block the acquisition of a company by one of your closest allies makes no sense in alliance-building terms,” said Joseph S. Nye Jr., an emeritus professor at Harvard who designed many of the defense cooperation strategies with Japan in the Clinton administration.

The meeting on Thursday between Mr. Biden, Mr. Kishida and Mr. Marcos represents a more aggressive effort by the United States and its allies to isolate China — rather than allowing the Chinese leadership to intimidate and isolate its neighbors in the South China Sea and elsewhere.

The Thursday meeting will be the first time that the leaders of the three nations have met together, officials said.

“We’re continuing to deepen our cooperation with our closest partners to ensure what we’ve talked about many times from this podium and elsewhere: a free, open and prosperous Indo Pacific,” Mr. Sullivan told reporters during a briefing at the White House on Tuesday.

Mr. Sullivan declined to say whether Mr. Biden would raise with Mr. Kishida the issue of plans by Nippon Steel, a Japanese corporation, to acquire U.S. Steel , the struggling manufacturer based in Pittsburgh. Mr. Biden has publicly said that he will have “the backs” of union steel workers, indicating his opposition to the deal.

“You guys all know Joe Biden,” he said. “You’ve seen Joe Biden. He’s been very clear that he’s going to stand up for American workers. He’s going to defend your interests. He’s also been very clear that he is going to make sure that the U.S.-Japan alliance is the strongest it’s ever been.”

But administration officials said later on Tuesday that they did not think the subject would come up between the two leaders on Wednesday because both men already know the position of the other.

Mr. Biden greeted Mr. Kishida on Tuesday evening for a brief arrival at the White House. Later, the two leaders and their wives went to BlackSalt, an upscale seafood restaurant in Washington, for a more casual dinner ahead of the formal events on Wednesday.

White House officials said the couples had exchanged a series of gifts on Tuesday evening, a diplomatic tradition for such events. The official gift from Mr. Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady, was a three-legged table that was handmade by a Japanese American-owned company in Pennsylvania.

Other gifts included a lithograph and a two-volume LP set autographed by Billy Joel and a vintage vinyl record collection. Dr. Biden gave Ms. Kishida a framed painting of the Yoshino cherry tree that the two had planted on the South Lawn last spring, and a soccer ball signed by the U.S. women’s national soccer team and the Japanese women’s team.

At the state dinner, the White House was scheduled to serve a meal that would include house-cured salmon and dry-aged rib-eye steak with blistered shishito pepper butter.

David E. Sanger contributed reporting.

An earlier version of this article misstated which countries belong to a security pact that Japan may join. Its members are the United States, Australia and Britain, not the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of a home page headline with this article misstated the surname of Japan’s prime minister. He is Fumio Kishida, not Fushida.

How we handle corrections

Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The Times. He has covered the last five presidents and sometimes writes analytical pieces that place presidents and their administrations in a larger context and historical framework. More about Peter Baker

Michael D. Shear is a White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Biden and his administration. He has reported on politics for more than 30 years. More about Michael D. Shear

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has begun his official visit to the United States this week. The prime minister and his spouse, Kishida Yuko, were greeted with an arrival ceremony at Joint Base Andrews. Maryland.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida lands in US to begin official visit

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What’s expected from Japan Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to US? A major upgrade in defense ties

President Joe Biden, left, and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is making an official visit to the United States this week. (AP)

TOKYO — Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making an official visit to the United States this week. He will hold a summit with President Joe Biden that’s meant to achieve a major upgrading of their defense alliance.

He will also join a first-ever summit of the U.S., Japanese and Philippine leaders in Washington to showcase their cooperation in the face of an increasingly assertive China.

The Associated Press explains the significance of Kishida’s visit and the two summits.

What does Kishida want to achieve?

The biggest event during the weeklong trip is his summit with Biden on Wednesday. Kishida hopes to further strengthen the alliance as China’s influence grows in the Indo-Pacific.

Kishida is also reaching out to the American public to showcase Japan’s contribution to the U.S. economy and ensure stable relations regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election later this year.

Kishida, who has pushed sweeping changes fortifying Japan’s defense capabilities since taking office in 2021, will emphasize that Japan and the U.S. are now global partners working to maintain a rules-based international order, and that Japan is willing to take on a greater international role in security, economy and space to help Washington.

Expanding arms equipment and technology cooperation between the two countries and other like-minded partners is also highly important, Kishida on Friday told selected media, including AP.

Kishida, stung by a corruption scandal, needs a successful U.S. visit to shore up low support ratings at home.

What is a state visit?

As a state guest, Kishida will be welcomed in a White House arrival ceremony on the South Lawn, a formal state dinner and other official events. He is the fifth state guest of Biden, who has also hosted leaders of India, Australia, South Korea and France, underscoring America’s focus on Indo-Pacific security partnerships.

Kishida is the first Japanese leader to make a state visit since Shinzo Abe in 2015. Abe made a major revision to the interpretation of Japan’s pacifist Constitution, allowing its self-defense-only principle to also cover its ally, the United States.

Why the defense focus?

Defense tops the agenda because of growing worries about threats from China, North Korea and Russia. Chinese coast guard ships regularly approach disputed Japanese-controlled East China Sea islands near Taiwan. Beijing says Taiwan is part of its territory and will be brought under control by force if necessary.

There are also worries about North Korean nuclear and missile threats and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kishida has warned that the war in Europe could lead to conflict in East Asia, suggesting that a lax attitude to Russia emboldens China.

“While we maintain the Japan-U.S. alliance as a cornerstone, we believe it is important to cooperate with like-minded countries, including the Philippines,” Kishida said.

What are the summit’s main issues?

Biden and Kishida are expected to agree on a plan to modernize their military command structures so they can better operate together. America stations 50,000 troops in Japan. The Japanese Self Defense Force is preparing to restructure so it has a unified command for ground, air and naval forces by March 2025.

Also expected are new initiatives for defense industry cooperation, including co-production of weapons, possibly a new missile, and the repair and maintenance of American warships and other equipment in Japan to help U.S. operations in the western Pacific.

Japan’s possible participation in a U.S.-U.K.-Australia security partnership to develop and share advanced military capabilities, including artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and hypersonics, may also come up.

Kishida and Biden are also expected to confirm Japan’s participation in NASA’s Artemis moon program and its contribution of a moon rover developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and the inclusion of a Japanese astronaut. The rover, which comes at a roughly $2 billion cost, is the most expensive contribution to the mission by a non-U.S. partner to date, a U.S. official said.

What is Japan’s defense aim?

Since adopting a more expansive national security strategy in 2022, Kishida’s government has taken bold steps to accelerate Japan’s military buildup. He hopes to show Tokyo is capable of elevating its security cooperation with the U.S. Kishida has pledged to double defense spending and boost deterrence against China, which Japan considers a top security threat.

Japan, working to acquire what it calls a “counterstrike” capability, has purchased 400 U.S. Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles. After prohibiting almost all weapons transfers, it has relaxed export guidelines twice in recent months, allowing the sale of lethal weapons to countries from which they were licensed and the overseas sales of a fighter jet it’s co-developing with the U.K. and Italy. The changes have allowed Japan to ship Japanese-made PAC-3 missiles to the U.S. to help replace those contributed by Washington to Ukraine.

What about the summit with the Philippines?

The first-ever trilateral summit between Biden, Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. comes as the Philippines faces escalating maritime tension with China over their contested South China Sea claims.

Biden wants to show that the three maritime democracies are unified as they face aggressive Chinese action against the Philippine coast guard and its supply vessels off the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, according to a senior Biden administration official.

Japan has sold coastal radars to the Philippines and is now negotiating a defense agreement that would allow their troops to visit each other’s turf for joint military exercises.

The trilateral comes eight months after Biden hosted a meeting with leaders from Japan and South Korea at Camp David.

“Cooperation among our three countries are extremely important in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and in defending a free and open international order based on the rules of law,” Kishida said Monday before leaving for Washington.

What happens in North Carolina?

Kishida also wants to highlight Japan’s economic contributions in the U.S. There is growing uncertainty in Tokyo about U.S. elections, reflected by questions about what happens if former President Donald Trump wins, though experts say there is a bipartisan consensus on a stronger U.S.-Japan alliance.

Kishida will meet with business leaders and visit Toyota’s electric vehicle battery factory under construction for a planned launch in 2025, and Honda’s business jet subsidiary in North Carolina. He will also meet students at North Carolina State University on Friday.

In his congressional speech on Thursday, Kishida said he plans to convey “what Japan and the United States want to hand down to future generations and what we need to do for them.”

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What's expected at Japanese PM Kishida's US visit? A major upgrade in defense ties

Kishida is the first leader from japan to make a state visit since 2015.

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• Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit the U.S. this week — the first leader from Japan to make a state visit in nearly a decade.
• President Joe Biden and Kishida will hold a summit on Wednesday where they are expected to upgrade their defense alliance.
• Biden, Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will also hold a 'first-ever summit’ as the Philippines faces mounting maritime tension with China.

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making an official visit to the United States this week. He will hold a summit with President Joe Biden that's meant to achieve a major upgrading of their defense alliance.

He will also join a first-ever summit of the U.S., Japanese and Philippine leaders in Washington to showcase their cooperation in the face of an increasingly assertive China.

IN UPCOMING MEETING WITH BIDEN, JAPAN'S KISHIDA LOOKS TO BOLSTER US DEFENSE TIES

The Associated Press explains the significance of Kishida’s visit and the two summits.

This photo combination shows U.S. President Joe Biden, left, taken in Washington on April 3, 2024, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, taken in Tokyo on March 28, 2024. Prime Minister Kishida is making an official visit to the United States this week. He will hold a summit with President Biden that is meant to achieve a major upgrading of their defense alliance. (AP Photo/File)

WHAT DOES KISHIDA WANT TO ACHIEVE?

The biggest event during the weeklong trip is his summit with Biden on Wednesday. Kishida hopes to further strengthen the alliance as China's influence grows in the Indo-Pacific.

Kishida is also reaching out to the American public to showcase Japan’s contribution to the U.S. economy and ensure stable relations regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election later this year.

Kishida, who has pushed sweeping changes fortifying Japan’s defense capabilities since taking office in 2021, will emphasize that Japan and the U.S. are now global partners working to maintain a rules-based international order, and that Japan is willing to take on a greater international role in security, economy and space to help Washington.

Expanding arms equipment and technology cooperation between the two countries and other like-minded partners is also highly important, Kishida on Friday told selected media, including AP.

Kishida, stung by a corruption scandal, needs a successful U.S. visit to shore up low support ratings at home.

WHAT IS A STATE VISIT?

As a state guest, Kishida will be welcomed in a White House arrival ceremony on the South Lawn, a formal state dinner and other official events. He is the fifth state guest of Biden, who has also hosted leaders of India, Australia, South Korea and France, underscoring America’s focus on Indo-Pacific security partnerships.

Kishida is the first Japanese leader to make a state visit since Shinzo Abe in 2015. Abe made a major revision to the interpretation of Japan’s pacifist Constitution, allowing its self-defense-only principle to also cover its ally, the United States.

WHY THE DEFENSE FOCUS?

Defense tops the agenda because of growing worries about threats from China, North Korea and Russia. Chinese coast guard ships regularly approach disputed Japanese-controlled East China Sea islands near Taiwan. Beijing says Taiwan is part of its territory and will be brought under control by force if necessary.

There are also worries about North Korean nuclear and missile threats and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kishida has warned that the war in Europe could lead to conflict in East Asia, suggesting that a lax attitude to Russia emboldens China.

"While we maintain the Japan-U.S. alliance as a cornerstone, we believe it is important to cooperate with like-minded countries, including the Philippines," Kishida said.

WHAT ARE THE SUMMIT'S MAIN ISSUES?

Biden and Kishida are expected to agree on a plan to modernize their military command structures so they can better operate together. America stations 50,000 troops in Japan. The Japanese Self Defense Force is preparing to restructure so it has a unified command for ground, air and naval forces by March 2025.

Also expected are new initiatives for defense industry cooperation, including co-production of weapons, possibly a new missile, and the repair and maintenance of American warships and other equipment in Japan to help U.S. operations in the western Pacific.

Japan’s possible participation in a U.S.-U.K.-Australia security partnership to develop and share advanced military capabilities, including artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and hypersonics, may also come up.

Kishida and Biden are also expected to confirm Japan’s participation in NASA’s Artemis moon program and its contribution of a moon rover developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and the inclusion of a Japanese astronaut. The rover, which comes at a roughly $2 billion cost, is the most expensive contribution to the mission by a non-U.S. partner to date, a U.S. official said.

WHAT'S JAPAN'S DEFENSE AIM?

Since adopting a more expansive national security strategy in 2022, Kishida’s government has taken bold steps to accelerate Japan’s military buildup. He hopes to show Tokyo is capable of elevating its security cooperation with the U.S. Kishida has pledged to double defense spending and boost deterrence against China, which Japan considers a top security threat.

Japan, working to acquire what it calls a "counterstrike" capability, has purchased 400 U.S. Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles. After prohibiting almost all weapons transfers, it has relaxed export guidelines twice in recent months, allowing the sale of lethal weapons to countries from which they were licensed and the overseas sales of a fighter jet it’s co-developing with the U.K. and Italy. The changes have allowed Japan to ship Japanese-made PAC-3 missiles to the U.S. to help replace those contributed by Washington to Ukraine.

WHAT ABOUT THE SUMMIT WITH THE PHILIPPINES?

The first-ever trilateral summit between Biden, Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. comes as the Philippines faces escalating maritime tension with China over their contested South China Sea claims.

Biden wants to show that the three maritime democracies are unified as they face aggressive Chinese action against the Philippine coast guard and its supply vessels off the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, according to a senior Biden administration official.

Japan has sold coastal radars to the Philippines and is now negotiating a defense agreement that would allow their troops to visit each other’s turf for joint military exercises.

The trilateral comes eight months after Biden hosted a meeting with leaders from Japan and South Korea at Camp David.

"Cooperation among our three countries are extremely important in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and in defending a free and open international order based on the rules of law," Kishida said Monday before leaving for Washington.

WHAT HAPPENS IN NORTH CAROLINA?

Kishida also wants to highlight Japan’s economic contributions in the U.S. There is growing uncertainty in Tokyo about U.S. elections, reflected by questions about what happens if former President Donald Trump wins, though experts say there is a bipartisan consensus on a stronger U.S.-Japan alliance.

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Kishida will meet with business leaders and visit Toyota’s electric vehicle battery factory under construction for a planned launch in 2025, and Honda’s business jet subsidiary in North Carolina. He will also meet students at North Carolina State University on Friday.

In his congressional speech on Thursday, Kishida said he plans to convey "what Japan and the United States want to hand down to future generations and what we need to do for them."

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Japanese PM Fumio Kishida addresses U.S. 'self-doubt' about world role in remarks to Congress

WASHINGTON — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida asserted in an address to a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday that his country stands with the U.S. at a time when history is at a turning point.

Kishida said the U.S. held a certain reputation decades ago that "shaped the international order" and "championed freedom and democracy."

"You believed that freedom is the oxygen of humanity," he said. "The world needs the United States to continue playing this pivotal role in the affairs of nations. And yet, as we meet here today, I detect an undercurrent of self-doubt among some Americans about what your role in the world should be."

Kishida said that is happening when the world is "at history's turning point" as "freedom and democracy are currently under threat around the globe," climate change is causing natural disasters, and technology such as artificial intelligence is advancing.

Japan faces "an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge" from China," he said. He also spoke about the threats from North Korea and from Russia in Ukraine.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as the United States’ closest friend, tomodachi, the people of Japan are with you, side by side, to assure the survival of liberty," he said. "Not just for our people, but for all people."

He continued: "I am here to say that Japan is already standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States. You are not alone. We are with you."

Kishida shared that he has felt a special connection to the U.S. since he attended his first three years of elementary school in Queens.

"We arrived in the fall of 1963, and for several years my family lived like Americans," he said. "My father would take the subway to Manhattan, where he worked as a trade official. We rooted for the Mets and the Yankees and ate hot dogs at Coney Island. On vacation, we would go to Niagara Falls or here to Washington, D.C."

It was only the second time a Japanese prime minister has formally delivered remarks to Congress. The first time in 2015, when Shinzo Abe spoke with Kishida in attendance as a foreign minister. Abe was assassinated in 2022. The last foreign leader to address lawmakers was Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in July.

Thursday's address also marked the first joint meeting with a foreign leader since Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., took the gavel. Vice President Kamala Harris also presided over the chamber during the speech.

Congressional leaders had invited Kishida to speak to both chambers in early March, with Johnson saying in a statement that it was part of an effort to lay "the foundation for collaboration in the years to come."

Before the address, Kishida met in a room just off the House chamber floor with the Big Four congressional leaders: Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. They didn't take any questions; Johnson joked to Kishida that he had brought along a large media corps from Japan.

"Japan is a close ally — critical to both our national and economic security," Schumer said. "This visit will continue to deepen the diplomatic and security relationship between our two countries and build on the strength of decades of cooperation.”

The visit is notable as Republicans, especially those in the House, resist providing foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and other places; countering China has been a big focus of Kishida's visit to the U.S.

"China's current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan, but to the peace and stability of the international community at large," Kishida said.

He added: "Russia's unprovoked, unjust and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has entered its third year. As I often say, Ukraine of today may be East Asia of tomorrow."

Before Kishida was invited, the Republican and Democratic leaders on the House Foreign Affairs Committee urged Johnson to formally ask him to speak to Congress, saying in a letter that it would "signal congressional support for this critical alliance and help Members of Congress understand [Japan's] importance to the economic and strategic interests of the United States."

After the address, Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a luncheon with Kishida at the State Department.

In the late afternoon, Kishida participated in the inaugural U.S.-Japan-Philippines trilateral summit at the White House, meeting with President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

During that meeting, Biden said the U.S. defense commitments to Japan and the Philippines are “ironclad.”

“Any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defense treaty,” he said.

Biden also highlighted technology and clean energy as areas for the “deepening ties” among the three countries.

“We’re securing our semiconductor supply chain,” he said, adding that the U.S. is expanding telecommunications in the Philippines.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the three leaders voiced concerns over what they called China’s “dangerous and aggressive behavior.”

“We steadfastly oppose the dangerous and coercive use of Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea, as well as efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation,” their statement said.

They also expressed opposition to efforts that “seek to undermine Japan’s longstanding and peaceful administration of the Senkaku Islands” in the East China Sea.

On Wednesday, Biden and Kishida announced plans to improve the U.S. military command structure in Japan, which hosts about 54,000 U.S. personnel. The two countries will also form a military-industrial council to explore the kinds of weapons they can produce jointly.

The White House hosted a state dinner for Kishida in the evening. Guests included former President Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton, as well as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Rebecca Shabad is a politics reporter for NBC News based in Washington.

Scott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC News.