Biden, Kishida Agree To Boost US-Japan Security, Economic Cooperation Amid Rising Concerns on North Korea, China, and Russia

United States President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held their first formal meeting on Friday that touched fresh concerns on North Korea's nuclear and missile development, China's growing military assertiveness, and Russia's escalating conflict with Ukraine and NATO.

The virtual meeting was the first substantial talk between the two leaders since Kishida took office in October. The talk, which lasted around 80 minutes, happened as North Korea suggested earlier that it may resume its development of nuclear weapons and long-range, sophisticated missiles.

Japan earlier slammed North Korea's recent launching of alleged ballistic missiles as it violates policies of the United Nations Security Council and poses a threat to the region.

US-Japan Working Together To Address Various Threats

China's rising hostility towards Taiwan is also a concern for both the US and Japan. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, and it intends to take over by force if necessary.

In recent months, Beijing has increased military exercises near the independent island country, routinely sending airplanes near Taiwan's airspace.

Japan is concerned about China's increased military presence in South China and the East China Sea, where Beijing claims a group of unoccupied islets under Tokyo's governance.

According to Al Jazeera, the US and Japan are re-evaluating their security strategies, with Japan significantly increasing its defense spending in 2022.

Kishida also indicated this week that Japan would beef up its defenses on islands near Taiwan, following a commitment in October to revamp its security strategy to explore every possibility, including the development of enemy-strike capabilities, according to Al Jazeera.

Before the talks, as per AP News, White House officials announced that the Biden- Kishida meeting is expected to discuss the efforts in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising tensions in eastern Europe, where Russia had positioned around 100,000 troops near Ukraine's border. The US and Western allies see it as a prelude to an invasion. Though Russia denied such allegations, it threatens to take unspecified military actions if its demands are not met.

Productive Meeting Between Biden, Kishida

After the meeting, Kishida said the meeting with Biden had established cooperation between their nations to campaign for a "free and open" Indo-Pacific, to work closely on the issues of China's military aggression and the North Korean nuclear weapons program.

"We agreed to work together to advance cooperation among like-minded countries to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific," Kishida told members of the media.

Japan's Prime Minister said they also agreed to organize an economical version of a "two plus two" meeting to promote Japan-U.S. economic cooperation, as per Reuters.

Kishida also said Japan would cooperate with the US to prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine and keep close contact with other allies on the point that any attack will be met with strong action.

Biden expressed on social media his appreciation for meeting Kishida, which he considers as a key step in pursuing stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

"It was an honor to meet with Prime Minister Kishida to further strengthen the U.S.-Japan Alliance - the cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the world," Biden posted on Twitter.

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Japan, United States, Russia, China, Taiwan, Joe Biden