Kishida Japanese Prime Minister Explores President Biden's Visit to Japan Next Month

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] It has been reported that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested U.S. President Joe Biden to visit Japan at the end of next month.

Japan's Kyodo News reported on the 26th that Prime Minister Kishida conveyed this intention while talking with President Biden, who was visiting Brussels, Belgium to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit.

The two leaders reportedly had a brief conversation while standing, rather than holding a formal meeting.

President Biden plans to attend the "Quad" (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue: United States, Japan, Australia, India) summit scheduled to be held in Tokyo in May or June. The Quad, a four-nation security consultation group led by the U.S., is known for countering China's maritime expansion.

The Japanese government is said to want to move the meeting forward to the end of April to address issues such as the Ukraine crisis and China's maritime expansion.

However, Kyodo News reported that it is difficult to predict whether the visit to Japan in late April will materialize, as the U.S. is focusing on responding to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also said at a regular press conference the day before, "We are adjusting the schedule, but nothing has been decided concretely."