Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed his intention to fortify military and weapons development partnerships with the United States and other nations like the Philippines. His upcoming trip to the U.S. includes meetings with President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., where he plans to discuss enhancing security cooperation, defense equipment and technology collaboration. The aim is to advance deterrence capability and deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance in areas such as security and defense ties, with a particular emphasis on arms co-development.
The Japanese government, under Kishida's leadership, has adopted a comprehensive national security strategy to accelerate the country's military capabilities. This includes doubling defense spending, obtaining a "counterstrike" capability through the purchase of U.S. Tomahawk missiles, and relaxing export guidelines for weapons sales to bolster defense cooperation. The focus is on showcasing Japan's commitment to elevating its security partnership with the United States amid concerns about China's growing assertiveness, which is viewed as a security threat by Japan.
In alignment with their shared concerns over China's activities in the region, Japan, the U.S., and the Philippines are intensifying defense relations. Discussions are expected to revolve around enhancing security collaboration amidst tensions in the South China Sea due to competing territorial claims. The three leaders are likely to address strategies for a unified command structure, weapons co-development framework, and cooperative repair and maintenance of U.S. warships in Japan for operations in the Western Pacific.
Regarding space cooperation, Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden are anticipated to confirm Japan's involvement in NASA's Artemis moon program, including providing a moon rover developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and the participation of a Japanese astronaut. The partnership aims to underscore joint efforts in space exploration. Additionally, plans to increase the number of Japanese students studying at U.S. universities will be announced to strengthen educational ties between the two countries. Kishida also plans to highlight Japan's economic contributions in the U.S. during his visit, emphasizing the importance of mutual understanding regardless of the upcoming presidential election result.