Biden welcomes Kishida to Washington as U.S., Japan navigate rare spat
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began a much-anticipated visit to Washington on Tuesday that spotlights shared concerns about provocative Chinese military action in the Pacific and at a rare moment of public difference between the two nations over a Japanese company’s plan to buy an iconic U.S. company.
Kishida and his wife will stop by the White House Tuesday evening ahead of Wednesday’s official visit and formal state dinner as President Joe Biden looks to celebrate a decades-long ally he sees as the cornerstone of his Indo-Pacific policy. Kishida will be the fifth world leader honored by Biden with a state dinner since he took office in 2021.
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The Pentagon announced on Monday that the U.S., United Kingdom. and Australia were considering including Japan in the AUKUS partnership, a grouping launched in 2021 that aims to equip Australia with nuclear-powered and conventionally-armed submarines.
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Beijing has condemned the AUKUS pact, which it says promotes division and could lead to military confrontation in the region. China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday raised objection to Japan’s prospective new role.
Kishida will stick around Washington on Thursday to take part in a meeting with Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Philippine-Chinese relations have been repeatedly tested by skirmishes between the two nations’ coast guard vessels in the disputed South China Sea.
Chinese coast guard ships also 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.
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“Cooperation among our three countries is 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.
The leaders are expected to discuss plans to upgrade the U.S. military command structure in Japan. There are about 54,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan the leaders announcements on defense will enable “greater coordination in the integration of our forces and ensure that they are optimally postured and linked to other like-minded partners.”
Kishida and Biden are also expected to confirm Japan’s participation in NASA’s Artemis moon program as well as its contribution of a moon rover developed by Toyota Motor Corp. and the inclusion of a Japanese astronaut in the mission. The rover, which comes at a roughly $2 billion cost, would be the most expensive contribution to the mission by a non-U.S. partner to date.
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Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Josh Boak and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this report.
