The leaders of Japan and the Philippines head to Washington this week for a first trilateral summit aimed at boosting defense ties.
The talks will “advance a trilateral partnership built on deep historical ties of friendship, robust and growing economic relations… and a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the White House said.
Before leaving Tokyo on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the Japan-US relationship is “more ironclad than ever” and that his trip will “demonstrate this message to the world.”
The trilateral summit comes on the heels of a quad military exercises of the Philippines, US, Japan and Australia in the West Philippine Sea.
China’s foreign ministry on Monday said it was “opposed to the cobbling together of exclusive small circles and to confrontation between different groups in the region.”
Kishida will be the first Japanese premier since Shinzo Abe in 2015 to be received with full honors at the White House, including a gala dinner and Rose Garden news conference.
The 66-year-old will then address both houses of Congress on Thursday before convening with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Biden for the countries’ first trilateral summit.
Biden, 81, and Marcos, 66, who is seen as closer to Washington than his more China-leaning predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, will also hold separate talks.
They are the latest Asia-Pacific allies to be hosted by Biden, who was joined by Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David in August.
Biden has also moved to manage tensions with China, holding a two-hour phone call with President Xi Jinping last week and a face-to-face meeting in San Francisco in November.
They are the latest Asia-Pacific allies to be hosted by Biden, who was joined by Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David in August.
Staunchly pacifist for decades, Japan has in recent years made “some of the most significant, momentous changes” since World War II, US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said ahead of the visit.
This includes plans to double military spending, buying US Tomahawk missiles, easing rules on exporting weapons and creating a joint operations command for its Self-Defense Forces (SDF).
It is also providing funding and equipment such as patrol vessels to countries across the region and is in talks with the Philippines about allowing troop deployments on each other’s soil.
According to media reports, Biden and Kishida could agree to the biggest upgrade in US-Japan command and control structures in decades to make their militaries more nimble in a crisis, for example, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
“Currently, despite their close interoperability, US forces in Japan and SDF operate under separate commands,” said Yee Kuang Heng from the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy.
The US has 54,000 military personnel in Japan who must report back to Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, around 6,500 kilometers (4,000 miles) away and 19 hours behind.
“This is seen as not fit for 21st-century purposes given the severe security environment around Japan,” Heng told AFP.
The two countries may also agree to allow large US warships to undergo repairs at private shipyards in Japan, and to joint production of defense equipment, media reported.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline First US-Japan-Philippines summit to boost defense ties