US President Joe Biden will travel to Japan for an in-person summit of Quad leaders
- The summit was one topic discussed during a virtual meeting between Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
- The meeting also addressed the US-Japan military alliance, tension in the Taiwan Strait and China’s growing nuclear arsenal, an administration official says
Details on the timing of the meeting of the Quad – a regional security alliance including the US, Japan, Australia and India – have yet to be worked out, with arrangements dependent on the spread of Covid-19.
The virtual meeting featured wide-ranging discussions on the US-Japanese military alliance, tension in the Taiwan Strait and China’s growing nuclear arsenal, a senior administration official said.
The two leaders also agreed to a new “2+2” forum aimed at strengthening economic cooperation – especially technology and supply chain issues – between the two nations and across the region.
“The close alignment between the United States and Japan was really on full display – so, very broad discussion on security, on views about the challenges in the Indo Pacific,” including “very in-depth discussions” on China, the administration official said.
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These included shared concerns about “some of the steps that China had taken across the board in terms of intimidating neighbours, taking steps that were predatory trade in other realms,” he added. “Prime Minister Kishida was particularly concerned about the nuclear build-up in China and what that augured for regional security.”
Nuclear containment is an issue of particular urgency for Japan – the only nation to suffer nuclear attacks – and for Kishida, who is from Hiroshima.
The US Defence Department estimates that China has some 350 deliverable nuclear warheads, a figure that could double by 2027 and triple by 2030. While these are a fraction of the estimated 6,200 warheads for Russia and 5,600 for the US, according to Federation of American Scientists, Beijing has balked at joining nuclear arms control agreements.
On Thursday, a joint US-Japan statement called on Beijing to reduce nuclear risks, increase transparency and seek further disarmament.
On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian criticised the statement, accusing Washington of clinging to a “Cold War mentality” and Tokyo of hypocrisy for stockpiling weapons-grade plutonium.
“It is nothing but a trick to deflect attention, shift responsibility and conceal their deplorable track record in the nuclear sector,” Zhao added.
Friday’s 90-minute meeting – beamed into the White House Situation Room, with top security, diplomatic and trade officials on both sides in attendance – saw the two sides resolve to counter China’s bid to “change the status quo” in the East and South China seas, maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait and condemn North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches, the White House said.
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On Saturday, the Chinese embassy in Japan issued a statement saying Biden and Kishida’s virtual meeting had made “groundless attacks on China” and “grossly interfered” in its internal affairs, adding that it had lodged stern representations.
“We urge Japan and the United States to follow the trend of the times, abandon narrow policies of zero-sum game and beggar-thy-neighbour, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop drawing small circles based on ideologies,” the statement read.
In response to mounting security challenges, Kishida pledged on Friday to boost Japanese military spending, now around US$47 billion, by 8 per cent.
This was the second, and more substantive, meeting since Kishida became prime minister in October. Biden and Kishida spoke briefly on the sidelines of the COP26 global summit in Scotland in November.
Friday’s meeting unfolded as Japan becomes an increasingly vital partner in US efforts to check China’s muscle-flexing. In a speech Monday at the opening of his nation’s parliament, Kishida called the US alliance “the linchpin of Japan’s diplomatic and security policies”.
While traditionally wary of confronting China, analysts said that Japan has become more increasingly explicit in its support for Washington on issues related to Taiwan and Beijing’s expanding political, military and economic footprint – a “pacing challenge” in military circles.
“The administration talks a lot about China as the pacing challenge, and Japan has been the pacing ally,” said Zack Cooper, formerly with the Pentagon and now a fellow with the American Enterprise Institute. “Over the past maybe two years, you’ve seen Japanese leaders being far more vocal on Taiwan.”
“Part of what’s happening, many in Japan are noticing, if there was a conflict in the Taiwan Strait and the US was involved, it would be very difficult for Japan to avoid getting involved – not that the US would necessarily force Japan into it, but there’s a high likelihood that China would target US bases in Japan.”
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Washington and Tokyo closely agree on most issues, but there are differences over trade, US military bases and, to a lesser extent, North Korea, analysts said.
Tokyo continues to bridle over 25 per cent tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Japanese iron and steel exports to the US. The senior official said on Friday that Biden hopes negotiations over these will be “concluded rapidly”.
The Japanese public has also grown concerned in recent weeks that the 55,000 US troops based on the archipelago could fuel the spread of Covid-19, particularly in the southern island of Okinawa where three-quarters of them are deployed.
Regarding North Korea, analysts said, many in Washington – already juggling Russia’s threat to invade Ukraine, tense nuclear talks with Iran and strained relations with Beijing – view Pyongyang as a secondary risk.
“The administration doesn’t think it can make a lot of progress,” Cooper said. “They don’t want to spend a lot of energy on things can’t do much better on.”
Japan, near North Korea and the victim of kidnappings and missile launched over its main island of Honshu, sees the threat in more existential terms.
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More North Korean missile launches could energise a domestic debate in Japan over deployment of US-supplied Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence systems – a debate Beijing is likely to watch closely. Kishida called for a more hawkish military posture on the campaign trail, including consideration of a missile strike capability against potential foes.
Japan has also been instrumental in strengthening the Quad, earning Washington’s appreciation, with a focus on bolstering ties with India and Australia. India and Japan celebrate their 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year; earlier this month, Tokyo and Canberra signed a deal making it easier to conduct joint military exercises.
“President Biden applauded Japan and Australia’s signing of the Reciprocal Access Agreement that will enable closer trilateral defence cooperation,” the White House said after the meeting. “The US-Japan Alliance has never been stronger or more necessary.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
