[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The White House stated on the 13th (local time) that President Joe Biden hopes to visit Japan this spring to attend the Quad summit, but there is no concrete schedule to officially announce yet.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked during a briefing about President Biden’s schedule for visiting Japan and the possibility of visiting South Korea before or after the trip. She replied, "There isn’t much to share yet. What I can say is that President Biden looks forward to traveling to Tokyo this spring, including the Quad summit." She added, "We hope to have more details to share with all of you soon."
On the 11th, President Biden said during a video call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he looks forward to meeting in Japan around the 24th of next month. The Quad, a coalition of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India aimed at countering China, agreed to hold an in-person summit in Japan this spring, and this was the first time a specific date was mentioned.
Currently, it is expected that President Biden is likely to visit South Korea before or after his trip to Japan. Attention is focused on the possibility of the first South Korea-U.S. summit taking place after President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s inauguration on the 10th of next month.
Psaki denied the possibility of Japan joining AUKUS, the security alliance formed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia targeting China. Earlier, Japan’s Sankei Shimbun reported, citing multiple Japanese government officials, that the three AUKUS countries had approached Japan about joining AUKUS.
When asked about this, Psaki recalled that Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary also denied the claim and said, "The report is inaccurate." She reiterated that AUKUS focuses on developing military and defense capabilities among the three countries and does not intend to include Japan.
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