Kishida can expect the same heat during a state visit this week when he returns to the United States not only as his country’s prime minister, but as the man who led the U.S. alliance -Japanese at its strongest.
“The world today faces a historic turning point with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East and the security environment in East Asia,” he said. -he declared in a one-on-one interview with the Washington Post at his official residence in Tokyo before his visit. “It is important to demonstrate to the world the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance and its strength in today’s uncertain international society.”
President Biden will host Kishida at the White House on Wednesday for a state dinner. On Thursday, Kishida is scheduled to deliver a speech at a joint meeting of Congress. These will be the first two for a Japanese prime minister in nine years.
The trip will highlight the growing partnership between the two countries, linked by concerns over an increasingly tumultuous security environment in East Asia. The two leaders are expected to discuss new areas of cooperation, including closer coordination between U.S. forces in Japan and the Japanese military, as well as joint development and production of military and defense equipment.
Beyond security, the leaders plan to talk about space cooperation, artificial intelligence, global supply chains and more. Kishida will also tour new Toyota and Honda plants in North Carolina to highlight Japan’s economic importance as the largest foreign investor in the United States.
“During this visit, I would also like to emphasize that the Japan-U.S. alliance is not a relationship that is formed not only between the leaders of the two countries, but also between Congress, between governments and many private companies , local governments, and so on,” Kishida said.
This emphasis will certainly reignite the controversy over the proposed acquisition of US Steel by the Japanese company Nippon Steel, which has sparked an outcry from lawmakers of both parties and the powerful United Steelworkers union.
The Japanese steelmaker has pledged not to cut jobs, but the deal has nevertheless become a flashpoint in Pennsylvania, a swing state where US Steel is headquartered. Kishida said he had no plans to discuss the deal with Biden.
Other sticking points likely include the congressional impasse over the $60 billion U.S. aid plan for Ukraine, which has frustrated U.S. allies, and Japan’s need to strengthen its cybersecurity capabilities, which U.S. officials view as a weak link in the alliance. And officials from both countries will seek to lock in their plans in the event of an unpredictable return of the American president.
Japan is now at the center of the U.S. strategy to counter China through what U.S. officials call a “lattice” of groupings among like-minded nations.
The latest step in consolidating this strategy will be the first trilateral summit on Thursday between Biden, Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. As China steps up its aggression in the South China Sea, rising maritime tensions have prompted Manila to bring Tokyo and Washington closer. . The three leaders are expected to announce new measures, particularly regarding maritime and economic security.
But this week’s pomp will mainly celebrate Kishida and the dramatic changes Tokyo made under his leadership to shed long-standing postwar pacifist constraints.
Over the past two years, Japan has taken previously unthinkable steps to boost its defense capabilities, including increasing its defense budget to 2% of its gross domestic product over five years, making it the third largest budget in the world, and by acquiring “counter-attack” capabilities. strike enemy bases with long-range missiles.
These measures demonstrate Japan’s growing desire to defend itself and better contribute to upholding the global order. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kishida has repeatedly warned that “today’s Ukraine could be tomorrow’s East Asia.” The invasion triggered deep concern in Japan because, without a strong response, it could embolden China to attack Taiwan and lead to war in the Asia-Pacific region.
If Russia wins, “it would show that force can actually bring benefits, even when violating international law.” If so, what would happen to East Asia? We must not allow any country to receive the wrong message,” Kishida said.
The prime minister recalled his 2023 visit to kyiv, where he spoke with victims of Bucha, the site of a massacre of civilians by Russian troops, and said he was “outraged by the cruelty”.
“My visits to kyiv and Bucha last March had a very significant impact on me,” Kishida said. “Having touched the harsh and tragic reality of war through this visit has made me more determined to seek… lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible. »
Placid behavior hides dramatic changes
The man who led Japan through these dramatic changes is anything but dramatic. The mild-mannered leader almost never deviates from pre-written talking points and has followed a traditional political career.
As a child living in Tokyo, Kishida spent every summer in Hiroshima, his family’s hometown. He listened to stories from his grandmother and other survivors of the unfathomable horrors of nuclear devastation.
Kishida, 66, considers Barack Obama’s 2016 visit to Hiroshima, the first by a sitting U.S. president that he helped organize as foreign minister, among his most memorable accomplishments. Today, Kishida twice hosted world leaders from the Group of Seven, drawing attention to his oft-expressed dream of a “world without nuclear weapons.”
“Many leaders understand this (the need for nuclear disarmament) in their heads, but in order to take serious and concrete steps, I think it is important that they actually see the tragic and harsh reality with their own eyes and the feel in their own eyes. hearts themselves,” he said.
Kishida’s family path to politics is common in Japan; he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both legislators.
He cut his teeth by participating in his father’s electoral campaigns. Although he has held by far the highest title in three generations of Kishida men in politics, he credits his father with teaching him the core values of public service.
After his father’s death in 1992, Kishida won his seat in Hiroshima, rising through the ranks before becoming prime minister in October 2021.
Diplomacy was one of the few strengths of Kishida’s tenure spared from scandal. Domestically, Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is mired in problems, including a massive political fundraising scandal that threatens his future as prime minister. Support for Kishida and his cabinet has been historically low.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid the foundation for Japan’s assertive foreign and defense policy. politically, in the hope that Japan would play a more important role on the world stage. But it was Kishida who carried out the plan, in part because he is not as controversial as Abe, many analysts say.
“He took some of the important elements of the Abe revolution and advanced them in a subtle and effective way. He was able to do what Abe was not able to do,” said Daniel Russell, former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. “He has a conciliatory policy and aura, but what that really means is that he is trusted in a way that Abe never had. … It’s a huge asset, and he used it with real agility.
One of the most dramatic moments of his tenure so far was the July 2022 assassination of Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. A year later, a man tried to attack Kishida. Both times, the politicians were on the campaign trail. And each time, Kishida insisted on immediately resuming campaign activities, saying the democratic process would not be deterred by violent attacks.
One area that U.S. officials are likely to praise during the visit is Kishida’s work with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to break a 12-year diplomatic impasse and work together to cooperate with Washington to counter threats in the region. Yoon’s overtures have led to a resumption of “shuttle diplomacy” as the two men attempt to show that they are serious about putting aside thorny historical questions related to Japan’s colonization of Korea in the first mid-20th century.
Historical questions have disrupted periods of rapprochement between the two countries. This could happen again, with changes in the domestic politics of both countries. In fact, the Kishida-Biden summit will take place on the same day as South Korea’s National Assembly elections, which could make Yoon a lame duck long before his term ends in 2027.
But Kishida said he learned as foreign minister that personal relationships make a huge difference in diplomacy and that he hopes his relationship with Yoon will help the two countries build trust over time. The two met seven times last year and reportedly bonded over their love of baseball and mutual tolerance of alcohol. Yoon “never wavered in his promises or decisions, at least in my experience,” he said.
“Ultimately, it depends on the relationships between senior officials who make diplomatic decisions,” Kishida said.
Julia Mio Inuma contributed to this report.
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