Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida indicated that US President Joe Biden confirmed his support for Japan’s quest to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, as well as our plan to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities and increase its budget. He explained that “the position of Japan and the United States on Taiwan has not changed, and we emphasize the need to maintain security and stability in the region.”

Kishida pointed out that “strengthening the alliance with the United States is important to counter any attempt to change the situation by force, as happened in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” and emphasized that “we must resist Russian aggression aimed at changing the rules of the game, and we are firmly committed to is to react.”

Biden arrived in Japan yesterday, the second leg of his trip, “seeking to strengthen American leadership in Asia while countering the rise of China and the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.”