Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may have an abysmal approval rating back home, but he’s the man of the hour in Washington. The Japanese premier is spending a few days in Washington for talks with President Joe Biden at the White House, leading up to the first trilateral summit between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines on Thursday.
Heading into those talks, Kishida and his administration want their American colleagues to know just how much they cherish Japan’s 72-year-long alliance with the U.S., their commitment to making it even stronger, and their intention to be a more active player in pursuit of an open and free Indo-Pacific. Takeo Akiba, Kishida’s national security adviser, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post trumpeting Japan’s newfound leadership role. Kishida has taken a more sober approach in his media appearances, stressing that Asia is at a pivotal moment in history.
Author
Events on Asia
