US leader endorses Japan's plan to beef up its defences

TOKYO • US President Joe Biden yesterday endorsed Japan's plan to beef up its defence capabilities as he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida committed to working closely together to counter China's growing influence in Asia.

Mr Biden, on his first trip to Asia since taking office, is visiting the region as concern grows about China's assertiveness and reach across security and supply chains.

The US President commended Mr Kishida's determination to strengthen Japan's defence capabilities, the White House said in a statement after their meeting. The two leaders committed to working closely on China's "increasingly coercive behaviour that runs counter to international law", it said.

Mr Kishida said he told Mr Biden that Japan would consider various options to boost its defence capabilities, including the ability to retaliate. That would include a "considerable increase" in its defence budget, Mr Kishida said.

Separately, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said Mr Biden supported Japan becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

The cornerstone of Mr Biden's visit, which includes meetings with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia, in the Quad group, was the launch of an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a broad plan providing an economic pillar for US engagement with Asia.

"The US-Japan alliance has long been the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, and the United States remains fully committed to Japan's defence," Mr Biden said at the beginning of talks with Mr Kishida at the Akasaka Palace in central Tokyo.

Earlier, Mr Biden met Emperor Naruhito, talking briefly at the entrance of the Imperial Palace before being ushered inside. The White House said Mr Biden offered greetings on behalf of the American people, highlighting the strength of US-Japan ties.

"It shows that the United States will strengthen its involvement in the Indo-Pacific region no matter what the circumstances," Mr Kishida said ahead of his meeting with Mr Biden.

Worries are growing in Asia about an increasingly assertive China, particularly in the light of its close ties to Russia, and tension has risen over self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.

North Korea was also on Mr Biden's agenda, and he was scheduled yesterday to meet the families of Japanese individuals who were abducted years ago to train spies in North Korea.

After talks with Mr Biden, Mr Kishida said that Japan and the US "will monitor recent activities of the Chinese navy as well as movements related to joint exercises by China and Russia".

"We strongly oppose attempts to change the status quo by force in the East China Sea and South China Sea. Furthermore, we agreed to jointly deal with various issues related to China such as human rights," Mr Kishida said.

The US and Japan also agreed to work to put the first Japanese astronaut on the Moon, accompanied by an American astronaut.

The two countries said in a joint statement that they would collaborate on human and robotic Moon missions, "including a shared ambition to see a future Japanese astronaut on the lunar surface", with a goal of signing an implementation agreement this year.

The two countries said they "are committed to a Japanese astronaut opportunity on the Gateway, a human outpost in the lunar vicinity, as part of expanding Artemis collaboration".

The joint lunar exploration development ties into the Artemis project, a US-led effort to return astronauts to the Moon and eventually send humans to Mars.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG