TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio is considering holding talks with US President Joe Biden in New York later this month on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting, Japanese government officials told Jiji Press on Monday.

The envisaged talks would be the first bilateral summit between the two leaders since they held a brief meeting in Germany in June on the occasion of a summit of the Group of Seven major powers.

If the New York meeting takes place, Kishida and Biden are expected to confirm their commitment to strengthening the Japan-US alliance amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan.

Biden is likely to stay in New York on Sept. 18-20, sources familiar with the matter said. Kishida is considering traveling to New York as early as Sept. 19, the Japanese government officials said.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing are growing following a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last month. Kishida apparently aims to use the meeting with Biden to affirm close cooperation between Japan and the United States over issues related to China, including the Taiwan Strait.

The prime minister also hopes to affirm the commitment of Japan and the United States to strengthening the alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities.

Kishida is also expected to reiterate his government’s plans to beef up Japan’s defense capabilities drastically toward updating Tokyo’s key security documents late this year.

Other key issues at the Kishida-Biden meeting will likely include responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear and missile development programs.

Another focal point is the strengthening of economic security for Japan and the United States, which was discussed at the first meeting of their foreign and economic ministers in July.

JIJI Press