Japan, US facing most challenging security in recent history: Kishida

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During White House meetings Friday, President Joe Biden and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida praised Tokyo's strengthened military posture as part of a growing alliance to safeguard peace in the increasingly tense Asia-Pacific region.

Hosting Kishida in the Oval Office, Biden said as quoted by AFP that  the countries' "shared democratic values are the source of our strength, the source of our alliance."

He stated that they will discuss "modernizing our military alliance" and expressed appreciation for "Japan's historic rise in defense investment and new national security strategy."

"Let me be crystal clear: the United States is fully, thoroughly, completely committed to the alliance and more importantly to Japan’s defense," Biden said.

"Japan and the United States are currently facing the most challenging and complex security environment in recent history," Kishida told Biden.

The new Japanese defense posture will "ensure peace and prosperity in the region," he said.

"Japan decided upon fundamentally reinforcing our defense capabilities, including possessing counterstrike capabilities," he added.

On his account, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan and the United States are currently operating in the most difficult and complicated security situation in recent history.

"Japan and the United States are currently facing the most challenging and complex security environment in recent history," Kishida said at the start of a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

The Japanese Prime Minister arrived in Washington on Friday for a bilateral meeting with Biden, which will primarily focus on the security of the two countries' partnership.

The Biden-Kishida summit will be the last in a series of high-level discussions between top Japanese and US officials this week.

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