The US strengthens military relations with Japan in the face of growing Chinese hostility

President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a greater level of defense and intelligence cooperation between the two countries, during the Japanese president's first state visit to the White House.

The United States hopes Japan will step up and play a major role in producing more military and defense equipment, particularly to boost global coordination in the face of growing hostility in the Asian region from China.

At the same time, Biden clarified:

“Our alliance that we have with Japan is purely defensive in nature. […] It is not directed at any nation or any threat to the region and has nothing to do with a conflict. And then it is about restoring stability in the region.”

According to analysts, Japan is seen in Asia as a point of stability and a key country for multilateral relations and the security of the region. Furthermore, Japan cares a lot about the current situation in Ukraine and ways to give it more help.

Kishida said:

“Ukraine today can be East Asia tomorrow. Taking the issue as our own problem for Japan, I expressed our resolve to continue strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, Beijing has increased hostilities in the South China Sea, creating military skirmishes with the Philippines.

In a sea that is commercially crucial for Japan, guaranteeing peace in the region is what Tokyo and Washington seek.

According to Gregory Polling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies:

“While we are focused on Taiwan for obvious reasons, a US-China conflict remains more likely in the South China Sea. The ceiling for that could be lower, we're not going to escalate into a general war in the South China Sea. But (pause if necessary, cut to TV) A low-level military conflict is uncomfortably possible.”

China said any defense cooperation should promote regional peace and that it opposes exclusive alliances that could fuel bloc confrontation in the region.

Among the various topics, the two heads of state addressed the need to negotiate an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the entry of more aid for civilians. And on Ukraine, they talked about the urgency of continuing to support kyiv, with Biden once again urging lawmakers in Congress to vote to send military aid.