And they will announce that a Japanese astronaut will become the first non-American on a NASA mission to the moon.
These are among the raft of announcements expected this week when President Biden welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a state visit on Wednesday, to be followed a day later by a first-ever summit among the leaders of Japan, the United States and the Philippines.
The summits are the latest display of the Biden administration’s efforts to deepen what it calls a “latticework” of alliances and partnerships in the region — a clear signal to China. Underscoring the point, Japan and the United States on Sunday joined Australia and the Philippines in military drills in the South China Sea, an area that China claims as part of its maritime dominion.
The relationship with Japan in particular has significantly deepened, with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell recently calling it “the cornerstone of our engagement in the Indo-Pacific.”
The gains, however, have not been without some economic strains. Most recently, Japanese officials were frustrated by Biden’s public opposition to Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion bid to acquire U.S. Steel, with the president saying it was “vital” that the faded industrial giant remained in American hands.
But Tokyo, officials there say, understands the election-year necessity of Biden’s opposition to the takeover and has remained outwardly placid. The two governments, stressing that the matter is for the companies to work out, are determined that it not mar this week’s visit.
China’s growing aggressiveness in the region has brought Japan and the Philippines closer to the United States as their security interests converge. In the past year and a half, Japan has made significant reforms to its national security and defense strategies and has committed to buying U.S. Tomahawk missiles and building its own counterstrike capability. The Philippines has granted the U.S. military access to more bases on its islands.
Biden administration officials say the U.S.-Japan relationship is in the strongest shape it has ever been. “There should be a permanent level of mutual trust,” said one Japanese official, who like other senior officials in both capitals spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss planning for the summit.
Kishida, who will deliver a speech Thursday to a joint meeting of Congress, will also highlight Japan’s aspirations to be a global leader. At last year’s Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Kishida rallied support for Ukraine, expanded Global South participation in the meeting of advanced democracies, and he called for collective action against economic coercion — a veiled swipe at China.
Japan, said one senior Biden administration official, is aligning with the United States “in many ways like a NATO ally.”
Though Biden will express intent to enhance the U.S. joint military command structure in Japan, he will not unveil a specific plan, said a senior administration official. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has yet to approve a plan, in consultation with the president and the incoming commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Paparo, the official said.
Meanwhile, Tokyo has announced plans to establish a Joint Operations Command by 2025 to direct all Japanese military operations, a move the United States has long sought. In return, Tokyo would like Washington to set up an operational command in Japan. Joint operations of U.S. personnel in Japan are currently directed by Indo-Pacom, which is…
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