US fully committed to Japan alliance, Biden tells Kishida

US President Joe Biden met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House and discussed issues related to China, North Korea and Russia and plans for deterrence in Asia with US troops and missiles. Both countries reiterated the importance of peace and stability in Taiwan Strait and warned against any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine.

It was great welcoming my friend Prime Minister Kishida for his first visit to Washington while in office.

Our shared democratic values will continue to serve as source of strength in our alliance for years to come. pic.twitter.com/r3zAQKdnMA

— President Biden (@POTUS) January 14, 2023

Biden said that the United States' message is clear: "our investment in the U.S.-Japan alliance is paying huge dividends – from national security to economic issues. And it will continue to do so for years to come". 

The Japanese prime minister on Friday also met US Vice President Kamala Harris, who said the United States’s relationship with Japan is “ironclad” and that the two sides would sign an agreement on space cooperation later in the day. Kishida said topics for his Washington talks included the US-Japan alliance as well as “establishing a free and open Indo-Pacific”, a reference both countries use to describe the efforts to push back against China.