WASHINGTON: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio is set to meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Jan. 13, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

In a statement, Jean-Pierre said that “President Biden will reiterate his full support” for Japan’s new national security strategy and its presidency of the Group of Seven major powers this year.

It will be the first time for Kishida to visit the White House.

“The leaders will celebrate the unprecedented strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance and will set the course for their partnership in the year ahead,” Jean-Pierre said.

In light of Japan’s recent revision of three key national security documents partly aimed at including plans for the country to possess counterstrike capabilities, Kishida and Biden are expected to confirm the strengthening of the Japan-U.S. alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities.

Also, in hopes of bringing the G-7 summit in the western Japan city of Hiroshima in May to success at the initiative of Japan and the United States, the two leaders are expected to coordinate ways to advance discussions.

Jean-Pierre said that Kishida and Biden, when they meet later this month, will discuss regional and global issues such as the situation in North Korea, which is developing nuclear weapons and missiles, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Noting that Kishida and Biden have worked closely together over the past year to expand Japan-U.S. cooperation on key issues from climate change to critical technologies and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, the press secretary said that the two leaders “will build on these efforts.”

JIJI Press