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Bloomberg
US President Joe Biden will seek to win Japan’s backing for a common response to Russia if it attacks Ukraine during his first virtual summit on Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Ahead of the talks, a senior administration official said Biden wants to discuss a “strong, united response that would result from further Russian aggression toward Ukraine.†The official also said the pair would talk about “common threats,†signaling a discussion on China’s military buildup and North Korea’s recent weapons tests. The talks were planned for 10 pm Japan time.
The format of the meeting is unprecedented for Japan, whose leaders have pressed for in-person summits with their US counterparts even during the pandemic. It comes amid heightened diplomatic activity between Washington and Ukraine prompted by fears of a potential Russian invasion.
Since November, the US has been warning allies the Kremlin may be preparing to invade Ukraine, already massing more than 100,000 troops near its neighbor’s border. President Vladimir Putin denies he’s planning an invasion.
“I want to make this an opportunity to show the world the unwavering ties between Japan and the US, and to take the alliance to a new level,†Kishida told parliament.
Kishida’s former boss, Shinzo Abe, held a series of meetings with Putin in a bid to resolve a territorial dispute dating back to World War II. Nonetheless, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi signed up to a December Group of Seven statement warning that Russia would face a “severe cost†if it invaded Ukraine. It is unclear what role pacifist Japan could play in the event of a conflict.
Biden has sought to strengthen the US alliance with Japan after former President Donald Trump, who imposed metals tariffs that are still in place, repeatedly called the value of the relationship into question. In particular, the two countries have found common ground on China: A joint statement this week on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons called on Beijing to “reduce nuclear risks, increase transparency, and advance nuclear disarmament.â€
Japan relies on the US, its only treaty ally, for national security in the face of threats from China, as well as a potential return to intercontinental ballistic missile launches from North Korea. Japan’s public typically attaches importance to the personal relationship between the prime minister and the US president.