Japanese Prime Minister Kishida to Make Historic Visit to U.S. for Summit with Biden

Biden-Kishida Summit to be Held in April
First State Visit Since Prime Minister Abe 9 Years Ago

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan will visit the United States in April to hold a summit with President Joe Biden in Washington, DC.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported this on the 26th, based on an announcement by John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, and the Japanese government.

According to the report, Kirby emphasized the significance of Prime Minister Kishida’s state visit to the US by stating, “We highlight all our efforts together to improve and strengthen cooperative relationships with allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan, along with the importance of the US-Japan alliance and bilateral relations.”

Kirby also revealed that the US-Japan summit will discuss various threats and challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. He added that the progress of trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan will also be on the agenda.

The White House also released a statement containing the same information that day. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained, “This visit will highlight the enduring strength of our alliance, the unchanging US commitment to Japan, and Japan’s increasing role as a global leader.”

Japanese government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, also announced in a press conference that morning, “Prime Minister Kishida has been invited by President Biden and will hold a US-Japan summit with President Biden in Washington, DC, on April 10th, and will also attend the official dinner.”

Hayashi continued, “At a time when the international community is facing various challenges, the solid bond between the US and Japan is critical,” and “Prime Minister Kishida’s official visit to the US has great significance in deepening the close cooperation between the two countries and showing the strong US-Japan alliance to the world.”

This is the first state visit to the United States by a Japanese prime minister since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in April 2015, nine years ago.