On the first full day of his premiership, Japan's new prime minister Fumio Kishida spent twenty minutes on the phone with President Joe Biden, two allies stepping into a shared future shaped by the rising weight of China and the stubborn unpredictability of North Korea. Kishida, a figure once seen as a moderate, had reached the top of his party by leaning harder toward security, and the call reaffirmed a long alliance now being asked to carry more. It is a familiar human gesture, a leader reaching across an ocean to say that the old partnership still holds, even as the region around it grows m
Kishida and Biden Pledge Alliance Strengthening Against China, North Korea Challenges
A first step toward lifting the alliance to even higher levels
On the first full day of his premiership, Japan's new prime minister Fumio Kishida spent twenty minutes on the phone with President Joe Biden, two allies stepping into a shared future shaped by the rising weight of China and the stubborn unpredictability of North Korea. Kishida, a figure once seen as a moderate, had reached the top of his party by leaning harder toward security, and the call reaffirmed a long alliance now being asked to carry more. It is a familiar human gesture, a leader reaching across an ocean to say that the old partnership still holds, even as the region around it grows more tense. What comes next will reveal whether words of commitment can be matched by the patient work of defense and diplomacy.
Fumio Kishida's first full day as Japan's prime minister began with a phone call to Washington. Parliament had elected him that Monday, and President Joe Biden opened the twenty-minute conversation by congratulating him on taking office. Afterward, Kishida told reporters that the two leaders had agreed to strengthen the alliance and to face together the growing challenges from China and North Korea. Biden, he said, had spoken strongly about U.S. commitment to Japan's defense, including the Senkaku islands, which Japan controls, China claims, and where Chinese coast guard activity has been rising.
The call also carried a personal warmth. The two agreed to use first names, Joe and Fumio, and to meet in person soon. Kishida called the exchange a first step toward lifting the alliance higher, and both reaffirmed a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Later that day, Kishida spoke with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and the two pledged closer security and economic ties, both bilaterally and through the Quad with the United States and India. Kishida backed AUKUS and, with Morrison, objected firmly to economic coercion and to unilateral efforts to alter the regional seas.
Kishida, 64, won the party leadership after a turn toward a tougher security stance, a shift many read as an effort to win over conservatives. He succeeds Yoshihide Suga, whose support had eroded over the pandemic and the Olympics. Kishida's path now runs between building up missiles and navies and keeping a line open to Beijing, which he calls an important neighbor. He insists that Japan must speak up when the status quo in the East and South China Seas is challenged.
On his first full day as Japan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida got on a phone line with President Joe Biden. The call lasted 20 minutes. Kishida had been elected by Parliament and sworn in that same Monday, and the conversation opened with Biden congratulating him on taking office.
According to Kishida, who spoke to reporters afterward, the two leaders agreed to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance and to cooperate on regional security as challenges from China and North Korea grow. Kishida said Biden gave "a strong statement" of the U.S. commitment to Japan's defense, including the Senkaku islands. Japan controls the East China Sea islands, China also claims them, and Beijing has stepped up coast guard activity in the area.
Kishida said the two also reaffirmed their intention to confront together the "challenges facing neighboring regions such as China and North Korea." They confirmed their commitment to the "free and open Indo-Pacific" vision, a framework of partnerships among regional democracies meant as a counter to China's increasingly assertive activity. Kishida described the call as a first step toward lifting the alliance to even higher levels.
The call also had a personal side. The leaders agreed to address each other by first name, Joe and Fumio, and to hold their first in-person meeting at an early date.
Later on Monday, Kishida held online talks with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. According to a statement from Japan's Foreign Ministry, they agreed to deepen security and economic ties, both bilaterally and through the Quad, which also includes the United States and India, to promote regional peace and stability. Kishida voiced support for AUKUS, the newly launched security partnership among Australia, Britain and the United States. He and Morrison reaffirmed their firm objection to what the ministry characterized as economic coercion by China and to unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the regional seas.
These positions fit Kishida's stated agenda. He backs stronger Japan-U.S. security ties and partnerships with like-minded democracies in Asia and Europe, in part to counter China and nuclear-armed North Korea. He has also pledged to strengthen Japan's missile and naval defense capabilities. At the same time, he acknowledged the need to keep talking with China, which he called an important neighbor and trade partner, while saying that "we must speak up" against Beijing's attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas.
Kishida is 64. He had been regarded as a moderate within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, but he won the party leadership last week after a hawkish turn on security and a more conservative stance on gender equality and other issues, apparently aimed at winning over influential conservatives in the party. He succeeds Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after one year in office. Suga's support had fallen over his handling of the virus and his insistence on holding the Olympics, both seen as high-handed and dismissive of public concerns.
The next things to watch are the date of the in-person meeting with Biden, and how Kishida follows through on the missile and naval buildup and on Japan's Quad and AUKUS ties while keeping a channel open to Beijing.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We must speak up against China's attempt to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas.— Fumio Kishida, Japanese Prime Minister
Biden gave a strong statement about U.S. commitment for the defense of Japan, including the Senkaku islands.— Fumio Kishida, describing the call
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