President Joe Biden~, arrived in Japan on Thursday with intentions to meet privately with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of the bigger Group of Seven meeting, demonstrating how the two countries’ economic and national security cooperation has become stronger. Hiroshima, Kishida’s hometown, will host the assembly of major industrialized nations. The location of Hiroshima, where the United States launched the first nuclear bomb during World War II, has new meaning as the United States, Japan, and their allies contemplate on how to cope with Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The White House national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said the Russian invasion looms big and would be a major topic of discussion during the summit.” There will be discussions about the battlefield,” Sullivan said aboard Air Force One, emphasizing that the G-7 leaders will try to close any gaps in penalties to maximise their effectiveness. “There will be discussions about the current state of play on sanctions and, in particular, the steps that the G-7 will collectively commit to on enforcement.”
According to Sullivan, the US-Japan partnership is at a “genuine high-water mark.” He stated that Biden and Kishida’s meeting will aim to advance a relationship that has grown “in every dimension, whether it’s the military dimension of the alliance, the economic dimension, the recently concluded agreement on clean energy, the work we’re doing together on economic security.” Last year, Biden visited Tokyo to discuss Indo-Pacific strategy and to announce a new trade framework for the area, which included an 85-minute tea ceremony and seafood supper. The president’s first stop in Japan was to visit American troops at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni before boarding a chopper to Hiroshima for an 80-minute discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“Kishida is from Hiroshima, and he believes deeply in the disarmament agenda,” said Christopher Johnstone, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “Of course, Kishida is treading carefully. He realizes the importance of the nuclear umbrella, as well as Japan’s reliance on US extended deterrence, which is more important than ever in the current security context.” There are still unsolved concerns between the United States and Japan. During a meeting with Kishida in January, Biden brought up the case of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, a US Navy officer stationed in Japan who was sentenced to three years in prison last year after pleading guilty to the negligent driving deaths of two Japanese citizens in May 2021, according to a senior administration official. Alkonis also agreed to pay $1.65 million in reparations to the victims. His family is fighting for his release, claiming he was imprisoned until he confessed.
Even though Biden feels he has strengthened relations with US allies, he still faces domestic political turbulence. The president canceled a portion of his voyage across the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday. He will bypass Papua New Guinea and Australia to return to Washington in the hopes of reaching an agreement to lift the federal government’s debt ceiling.
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