Biden to host Japan’s Kishida for state visit in April

President Biden is scheduled to host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as a state guest this spring, part of U.S. efforts to counter China and strengthen ties in the region to counter the threat from North Korea.

The White House announced Thursday that the visit is scheduled to take place on April 10 and its purpose is to emphasize the importance of the U.S. alliance with Japan and strengthen bilateral cooperation.

“Japan is one of our closest allies in the entire world and a very important ally in the Indo-Pacific region,” White House National Security Press Secretary John Kirby said in announcing the visit.

“Not just how we are deepening our bilateral cooperation with Japan and increasing our alliance capabilities across the board, but also how we are working together against a range of other threats and challenges across India. “I think you can expect robust discussions to take place in the Pacific, including improving trilateral cooperation with South Korea,” he added.

Kirby did not say whether Biden would discuss the White House's concerns over Nippon Steel's deal to buy U.S. Steel.

Mr. Biden has sought to focus his administration's efforts on strengthening ties with the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, despite crises in Europe, including Russia's war in Ukraine and escalating conflicts in the Middle East.

This includes government officials who hosted the Japan-South Korea trilateral summit at Camp David last August and are working to ease the historically tense relationship between Japan and South Korea. Prior to this, the president welcomed South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol's state visit in April last year.

The Biden administration has emphasized strong ties with Japan as a key part of its Asia strategy and a global priority, including Japan's support for Ukraine, a member of the G7, in its defensive war against Russia.

Biden hosted the leaders of Australia in October and India in June. These countries, as well as the United States and Japan, are members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue Group, which is considered a priority ally in countering Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.