WASHINGTON AP on Friday - President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida used their first formal meeting to discuss concerns about China's growing military assertiveness that's cause increasing disquiet in the Pacific.
Kishida said the two leaders spent a large amount of their 80 minute call on issues surrounding China, including concerns about China's increasing aggression toward Taiwan. If necessary, China claims that Taiwan is its own territory, to be annexed by force. In recent months, China has increased military exercises near Taiwan, often sending warplanes near the island's airspace.
Biden and Kishida also discussed the situation in Xinjiang province of Hong Kong and China. Biden has repeatedly called out Beijing over its crackdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong and forced labor practices against China's Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.
President Biden and I were able to exchange views honestly, in a very calm and quiet manner, about how Japan and the United States together cooperate and lead the international society, which I believe will lead to further strengthening of the Japan-U. Kishida said after the meeting that the S. alliance was formed.
The White House said the leaders also spoke about opportunities to enhance economic ties between the two nations, and launched a new 2 plus 2 dialogue focused on addressing economic issues, ranging from supply chain challenges to investment in key technologies to further cooperation on trade issues. Japan expressed support for the Biden administration's proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, and pledged to work to build support for the initiative in the region.
Biden accepted Kishida's invitation to visit Japan later this spring for an official visit and to attend this year's Quad Summit, which is a meeting between the leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India.
Japan remains concerned about China's intentions in the South China SeaChina Sea, where it has stepped up its military presence in recent years, and the East China SeaChina Sea, where there is a long-running dispute about a group of uninhabited islets administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.
Kishida said after the meeting that he expressed his determination to strengthen Japan's defense power while Biden spoke of the U.S. commitment to abiding by the 1960 Japan-U. The S. security treaty made it clear that it covers the Japanese-controlled disputed islands of Senkaku, which China refers to as Diaoyu.
Later, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said Kishida expressed his commitment to strengthening Japan's military capability, saying the prime minister would consider all options including acquiring preemptive strike capability. The virtual meeting came after North Korea suggested it might resume nuclear and long-range missile testing, which has been paused for more than three years.
North Korea's Kim Jong Un presided over a Politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Thursday, where officials set policy goals for immediately bolstering military capabilities to counter what were described as the Americans' hostile moves, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
The White House said Biden made clear to Kishida that the U.S. would work closely with South Korea and Japan on next steps to discourage North Korea from further provocation. The Biden administration expects to announce further steps to address North Korea in the coming days, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The two leaders discussed the ongoing efforts in the COVID 19 pandemic and the brewing crisis in eastern Europe, where Russia has more than 100,000 troops close to its border with Ukraine. Biden earlier this week said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was likely to order a further invasion of Ukrainian territory, but he did not think Putin wanted a war.
Kishida, who was born in Hiroshima, on which the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb at the end of World War II, raised concerns about nuclear security and the idea of achieving a world without nuclear weapons. Biden and his top aides have tried to mobilize the support of NATO partners and other allies to respond with harsh sanctions against Russia if it moves forward with military action. Kishida expressed support for Biden's efforts to deter Russia, and made clear that Japan would be fully behind the U.S. and would continue to coordinate with other allies on taking strong action if Russia attack, according to a Biden administration official.
On Thursday, in preparation for the leaders' call, Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Japanese counterpart Takeo Akiba held a call on Thursday to discuss North Korea, China and the importance of solidarity in signaling the strong, united response that would result from any attack on Ukraine, according to the White House.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held virtual talks earlier this month with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, where China's military maneuvering and North Korea's nuclear program were discussed.
Friday's virtual meeting was the first significant exchange between leaders since Kishida took office in October. They had a conversation on the sidelines of a climate summit in Glasgow in November. Biden was the first leader to call himself Kishida on the morning of his first full day in office.
Biden, who has tried to put a greater focus on the Indo-Pacific amid China's rise as a world power, has warm relations with Japan's last prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, and hopes to build a similar relationship with Kishida.