U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold their first formal talks on Friday as the two leaders face new concerns about North Korea's nuclear program and China's growing military assertiveness.
The virtual meeting came after North Korea suggested it might resume nuclear and long-range missile testing that 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 U.S. and Japan are concerned about China's increasing aggression toward Taiwan. China claims to have self-governing Taiwan as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. In recent months it has stepped up military exercises near the island, frequently sending warplanes near Taiwan's airspace.
Japan remains concerned about China's intentions in the South China SeaChina Sea, where it has increased 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.
White House officials said the two leaders were expected to discuss ongoing efforts in the COVID 19 pandemic and the brewing crisis in eastern Europe, where Russia has more than 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine. Biden earlier this week said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to order a further invasion of Ukrainian territory, but he did not think Putin wanted a war.
In preparation for the leaders call, Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Japanese counterpart Akiba Takeo held a call on Thursday to talk about North Korea, China and the importance of solidarity in signaling to Moscow 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 also held virtual talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi earlier this month, where China s military maneuvering and North Korea's nuclear program were discussed.
Friday s virtual meeting will be the first substantial exchange between leaders since Kishida took office in October. The leaders had a brief 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 wants to build a similar rapport with Kishida, as he hopes to put a greater focus on the Indo-Pacific amid China's rise as a world power.