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Joe Biden hailed the US’s “unbreakable” partnership with Japan as he welcomed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House for a visit designed to bolster their alliance and counter China.
Speaking alongside Kishida, the US president said the allies had created the “indestructible” alliance that President Dwight Eisenhower envisioned when the countries signed a mutual defence treaty in 1960.
“The alliance . . . is a cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. Ours is a truly global partnership,” Biden said.
Biden is hosting Kishida for a summit that will include the first state dinner for a Japanese prime minister since Shinzo Abe in 2015. On Thursday, they will meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for the first trilateral summit with the Philippines, in another example of the allies bolstering co-operation because of perceived threats from China.
Kishida and Biden will announce that they plan to implement the most consequential upgrade to the alliance since 1960, as first reported by the Financial Times. The goal is to boost co-operation and planning needed for any military contingencies, including a conflict with China over Taiwan.
US officials said the allies would unveil more than 70 “deliverables” in sectors from space to artificial intelligence. One official said they would also announce that they were “stepping up” intelligence co-operation.
The summit comes as Japan has made a dramatic shift in its security policy, driven by aggressive Chinese activity and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which have served as a reminder of the threat of conflict.
Sheila Smith, a Japan expert and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said a step change had been made in how Japan deals with global issues, saying it now “wants to make a difference”.
“Tokyo no longer watches quietly from the sidelines as North Korea, China and now Russia attempt to change the status quo. Japan’s leaders now recognise the danger of inaction. Their aim is to ensure no one will discount Japan’s strength,” said Smith.
US officials said the leaders would not discuss Nippon Steel’s proposed $14.9bn acquisition of US Steel, which Biden has opposed in one of the few thorny issues in the otherwise rock solid alliance. In an unusual twist, Dave McCall, president of the United Steelworkers union which opposes the deal, will attend the state dinner.
