[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold a summit at the White House on the 13th (local time) to discuss current issues including the North Korean nuclear problem.
On the 3rd, the White House confirmed Prime Minister Kishida's visit schedule through a statement issued by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
The White House stated, "President Biden will welcome Prime Minister Kishida at the White House on the 13th," adding, "The two leaders will discuss various international issues related to North Korea's illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, Russia's brutal war in Ukraine, and maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
It also said, "Over the past year, the two leaders have modernized the U.S.-Japan alliance while expanding cooperation on key issues ranging from climate change to Quad (the security consultative group of the U.S., Japan, India, and Australia) coordination, and have closely collaborated on the development of a free and open Indo-Pacific," emphasizing, "President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida will continue to build on these efforts."
At this summit, as Prime Minister Kishida previously revealed in a domestic radio interview, the strengthening of Japan's defense capabilities through revisions of the three major security documents, including the National Security Strategy, is also expected to be mentioned.
Earlier, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun also reported, citing government officials at the end of last year, that the U.S. and Japan leaders were coordinating a meeting in Washington D.C. on the 13th. This will be the first time Prime Minister Kishida, who took office in October last year, visits the White House in person to meet President Biden. The two leaders previously held talks in November last year on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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