WASHINGTON – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will make new agreements with US President Joe Biden when he visits the White House this week, while US and Japanese businesses sign investment deals and cement other ties.

Here are some of the most notable:

Military upgrade

Japan and the United States are expected to announce plans to upgrade their military alliance, including changes in the US military command in Japan and more joint development of defence equipment.

Aukus, South China Sea

Mr Biden’s meeting with Mr Kishida is expected to address Japan’s possible involvement in advanced capabilities projects of the Aukus security pact. The US, Britain and Australia formed Aukus in 2021 to push back against China’s growing influence.

Meanwhile, more joint patrols can be expected in the South China Sea after drills by the US, Australia, the Philippines and Japan last weekend, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on April 9.

Microsoft, AI

Microsoft said on April 9 it would invest US$2.9 billion (S$3.9 billion) over two years to expand its cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in Japan.

Also on the same day, the countries announced that four universities would partner on AI research, funded by US$110 million in private-sector investment by Nvidia, Amazon, Softbank, Microsoft and other companies.

Space

Japan is hoping to land its first astronaut on the moon with the US Artemis project that envisages returning humans there by 2026, as competition with Russia and China intensifies.

Bullet trains

The two leaders are also expected to discuss a bullet train project in Texas that would use Japanese technology and investment. REUTERS