Why ties with Tokyo are key for Biden

WHILE US President Joe Biden remains heavily focused on the dangerous Russia stand-off in Ukraine, his attention last Friday (Jan 21) was diverted by a welcome summit with the new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

At a time of growing tension with not just Russia but also China, Kishida could be a pivotal foreign figure during Biden's presidency. The summit therefore advanced the two leaders' shared vision for a free and open Asia-Pacific; expanded cooperation on combating the pandemic, plus the climate crisis; and partnerships on new, emerging technologies to help rejuvenate the global economy post-pandemic.

The critical importance of the US-Japan relationship for Biden was highlighted last year when then-prime minister Yoshihide Suga became the first world leader to meet face to face with him at the White House. That session also highlighted the intensified Asia-Pacific foreign focus of the US president, especially post-Afghan withdrawal, and during Friday's summit Biden accepted Kishida's invitation to visit Japan this spring in what will be the US president's first visit to the region since he entered the White House.