Japanese Prime Minister Visits US as State Guest for First Time in 9 Years... Kishida to Announce "Rock-Solid" US-Japan Relations

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will make a state visit to the United States. This is the first state visit to the U.S. by a Japanese prime minister in nine years, following former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015.

U.S. President Joe Biden (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida / Photo by Yonhap News

According to Kyodo News, Prime Minister Kishida met with reporters at Tokyo Haneda Airport on the afternoon of the 8th (local time) before departure and said, "I want to confirm that the Japan-U.S. relationship is rock-solid. This state visit to the U.S. is an important opportunity to announce that to the world."

On the 10th, Kishida will hold a summit meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C. After the summit, the two leaders are expected to define bilateral relations as a "global partnership" in a joint statement and announce plans to strengthen strategic cooperation in security and advanced technology sectors, targeting China.

The two countries are expected to agree on joint development and production of weapons, as well as command and control linkage between the U.S. military and the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Additionally, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the U.S., Japan, and Australia will promote technological cooperation on unmanned aerial vehicles that operate alongside next-generation fighter jets to conduct surveillance and attacks. The U.S. and Japan will broadly cooperate in areas such as space, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, economic security, and decarbonization.

On the 11th, Kishida will deliver a joint address to the U.S. Congress for the first time in nine years as a Japanese prime minister. He stated, "I want to give a speech that firmly looks to the future amid a historic turning point in the international community." According to Jiji Press, in his speech, Kishida is expected to emphasize Japan's stance of sharing responsibility with the U.S. for maintaining the international order but will not mention reflections on past history or war.

Kishida will then hold a trilateral summit with President Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. At this meeting, the three countries are expected to announce a series of agreements, including plans to conduct joint naval patrols in the South China Sea targeting China.

On the 12th, he will visit southern North Carolina to inspect the planned site of Toyota Motor Corporation’s electric vehicle battery plant and return to Japan on the 14th.