US President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plan to establish a consultative body on defense industrial cooperation to strengthen the Japan-US alliance in the defense field, allowing for more repair of US Navy ships in Japan. This was announced by a senior Biden administration official.
The official explained that defense will be at the top of the agenda at the Japan-U.S. summit meeting to be held at the White House on the 10th. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter had not yet been officially announced.
Kishida is the first Japanese prime minister to visit the United States as a state guest in nine years, since Shinzo Abe in 2015. This summit meeting will take place at an extremely important time for Japan-U.S. relations. As China strengthens its territorial claims in the South China Sea, Japan and the United States are aiming to strengthen cooperation on security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) and US President Biden (August 18, 2023)
Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg
The United States is eyeing joint production of the Patriot 3 (PAC3) surface-to-air guided missile as a potential project for a new defense industry cooperation consultative body, with the goal of finding more efficient ways to build weapons systems. I’m putting it in. PAC3 is currently produced in Japan, but suffers from significant cost overruns.
An agreement on ship repair would be more acceptable to Japan. Under the agreement, Japanese workers will maintain U.S. ships that require repair work within 90 days. This eliminates the need to return the ship to the United States for repairs, saving about a month of sea travel time. The U.S. Navy has determined that it is short on manpower for certain classes of repair work and can fill the gap in Japan, the official said.
Both Biden and Kishida are facing domestic political challenges, and Biden, who is seeking re-election in November’s presidential election, is in the midst of a tough competition with former President Trump, who is certain to win the Republican nomination. It is in. The Kishida administration is moving forward with efforts to strengthen defense capabilities. This is a historical shift from the pacifist stance that followed World War II, and is also a sensitive political issue for the Japanese people.
Prior to his visit to the United States, Prime Minister Kishida announced his policy to strengthen deterrence by building a multilayered network of international cooperation by promoting security cooperation, including in defense equipment and technology. Biden and Kishida will hold a joint press conference after the summit meeting, and an official dinner will be held that evening.
On the 11th, a Japan-U.S.-Philippines summit meeting will be held with a focus on national security, with President Marcos of the Philippines also participating. Japan, the United States, the Philippines, and Australia conducted a joint exercise in the South China Sea on the 7th.
The United States is urging its allies in the region to increase cooperation to counter China’s growing economic and military influence. The Japan-U.S.-Philippines summit will be a follow-up to last year’s Japan-U.S.-South Korea summit.
The summit between Biden and Kishida will also discuss how Japan supports regional partnerships, including the AUKUS security framework between the United States, Britain and Australia.
The defense ministers of the United States, Britain, and Australia announced in a joint statement on the 8th that they will consider cooperating with Japan in the “second pillar” of AUKUS, such as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing. expressed.
US, UK, Australia consider Japan’s participation in security framework – in the field of advanced technology
The Japanese and U.S. leaders also emphasized that they will cooperate to address issues such as the fight between Israel and the Islamic organization Hamas, support for Ukraine in response to Russia’s military invasion, and the nuclear and missile threats that North Korea is developing. It’s a prospect.
Ambassador to the United States Shigeo Yamada said on the 8th that Prime Minister Kishida remains steadfast in his support for Ukraine and will reiterate his message that “today’s Ukraine can become tomorrow’s East Asia.”At an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.commentdid.
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Original title:Biden, Kishida to Strengthen Defense Alliance With Eye on Chin(excerpt)
2024-04-09 09:00:00
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