On the first Tuesday of October 2021, a newly sworn-in Japanese prime minister reached across the Pacific to speak with an American president for the first time, and the conversation carried the familiar weight of two allies measuring their shared burdens. Fumio Kishida, who had taken office only the day before, and Joe Biden agreed in a twenty-minute call to deepen the security bond between their nations, with China's assertiveness in nearby waters and North Korea's nuclear posture as the challenges they named. It is the quiet beginning of a relationship that will be tested less by words than
Kishida and Biden Pledge Closer Security Ties Amid Challenges From China and North Korea
A first step toward lifting the alliance to even higher levels
Mark
Why does a 20-minute phone call matter this much?
Mimi
Because of what was said in it. Kishida says Biden committed to defending Japan, including the Senkaku islands, which China also claims and has been patrolling more with its coast guard.
Luke
Worth noting that's Kishida's account to reporters. The reporting here doesn't quote Biden directly or include a U.S. readout.
Mark
So what did they agree on beyond the islands?
Mimi
Cooperating on China and North Korea, and working toward a free and open Indo-Pacific, meaning partnerships among regional democracies. They also agreed to first names and an early in-person meeting.
Luke
No date for that meeting, though. Early is as specific as it gets.
Mark
Kishida was once seen as a moderate. Is this a shift?
Mimi
He won the party leadership last week after a hawkish turn on security and a more conservative line on gender equality and other issues, apparently to win over influential conservatives.
Luke
Apparently is the key word. That's the reporting's reading of his motives, not something he has confirmed.
Mark
And Suga's exit?
Mimi
He resigned after one year, with support falling over his virus response and his push to hold the Olympics.
Der Puls
- A brand-new prime minister and an American president spent twenty minutes trying to lock arms before the region's tensions could shift again.
- Beijing's coast guard pressure around the disputed Senkaku islands gives every reassurance a sharper edge.
- Biden reaffirmed that America would defend Japan, including those contested islands, while Kishida pushed for stronger missile and naval defenses.
- Kishida is building partnerships with democracies in Asia and Europe to hold the line against China and North Korea, and an in-person summit is expected soon, though no date has been set.
On the first Tuesday of October 2021, a newly sworn-in Japanese prime minister reached across the Pacific to speak with an American president for the first time, and the conversation carried the familiar weight of two allies measuring their shared burdens. Fumio Kishida, who had taken office only the day before, and Joe Biden agreed in a twenty-minute call to deepen the security bond between their nations, with China's assertiveness in nearby waters and North Korea's nuclear posture as the challenges they named. It is the quiet beginning of a relationship that will be tested less by words than by the seas and missiles that give those words their meaning, and by the in-person meeting they promised but did not yet schedule.
On Tuesday, October 5, 2021, Japan's newly installed prime minister, Fumio Kishida, held his first phone call with President Joe Biden, just a day after Parliament had confirmed him. The conversation lasted twenty minutes, and when it ended the two leaders had agreed to strengthen their alliance and to face regional security challenges together. They also agreed to use first names and to meet in person soon, though no date was announced.
Afterward Kishida told reporters that Biden had firmly restated America's commitment to defend Japan, including the Senkaku islands, which Japan controls and China also claims. Chinese coast guard activity in those waters has grown more aggressive. The two leaders also pledged to work toward a free and open Indo-Pacific, a network of regional democracies offered as a counterweight to Beijing.
Kishida has long favored closer ties with Washington and with like-minded partners in Europe and Asia, and he has promised to strengthen Japan's missile and naval defenses. He wants to keep talking with China, an important neighbor and trade partner, while standing firm against attempts to alter the status quo in the East and South China Seas.
He succeeded Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after a single year amid anger over his pandemic response and his insistence on holding the Olympics. Kishida, once seen as a moderate, had moved toward a harder line on security and a more conservative stance on social issues to win the leadership race. The next thing to watch is that in-person meeting, and how China answers the alliance's new language.
On Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, Japan's newly installed prime minister, Fumio Kishida, spoke by phone with President Joe Biden for the first time since taking office. The call lasted 20 minutes. By the end of it, the two men had agreed to strengthen the alliance between their countries and to cooperate on regional security, with China and North Korea as the stated challenges.
Kishida had been elected by Parliament and sworn in as prime minister on Monday, so the call came within a day of his taking the job. Biden opened by congratulating him. The two then agreed to address each other by first name, Joe and Fumio, and to hold their first in-person meeting at an early date. No date was announced.
Afterward Kishida described the substance to reporters. He said Biden had given him a strong statement of the U.S. commitment to defend Japan, including the Senkaku islands. Japan controls the islands in the East China Sea, and China also claims them. Chinese coast guard activity in the area has escalated. Kishida added that the two leaders had reaffirmed they would tackle together the challenges facing neighboring regions, such as China and North Korea.
They also confirmed a commitment to work toward a free and open Indo-Pacific. In Kishida's account, this is a vision of partnerships among regional democracies, offered as a counter to China's increasingly assertive activity. He called the first talks with a U.S. president a first step toward lifting the Japan-U.S. alliance to even higher levels.
The positions he voiced fit what he has said before. Kishida supports closer security ties with Washington and partnerships with like-minded democracies in Asia, Europe and Britain, in part to counter China and nuclear-armed North Korea. He has pledged to strengthen Japan's missile and naval defense capabilities. On Monday he acknowledged that Japan must keep up dialogue with China, which is an important neighbor and trade partner. But he said Japan must speak up against Chinese attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas.
Kishida is 64 and had been known as a moderate within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He won the party leadership last week after turning more hawkish on security and taking a more conservative stance on gender equality and other issues. The shift was apparently meant to win over influential conservatives in the party.
He succeeds Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after only one year in office. Suga's support had fallen sharply over his handling of the virus and his insistence on holding the Olympics, moves seen as high-handed and dismissive of public concerns.
What to watch next is the in-person meeting the two leaders agreed to schedule, and how China responds to the alliance language in the East and South China Seas.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Biden gave a strong statement about U.S. commitment for the defense of Japan, including the Senkaku islands.— Fumio Kishida, Japanese prime minister
Japan must speak up against China's attempt to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas.— Fumio Kishida, on Monday
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