Biden-Kishida Set To Discuss North Korea, China Threats During US-Japan Summit

Next week’s summit between President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to tackle a variety of issues, including North Korean threats and trilateral cooperation with South Korea.

What Happened: The summit, scheduled for April 10, comes amidst escalating defense cooperation between the U.S. and Japan in response to increasing security uncertainties, Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday. These include North Korea’s military threats, China’s assertiveness, and Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

According to National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby, the summit will address security concerns about North Korea and China. The two leaders will also discuss how to enhance bilateral and trilateral cooperation with South Korea. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell hinted at an upcoming announcement on U.S.-Japan collaboration over joint development and production of military equipment.

Kirby stated, “There will be issues in terms of the security environment — concerns about the DPRK, concerns about aggressive PRC actions.”

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Campbell added, “One of the things that I think you will see next week are steps for the first time that will allow the U.S. and Japan to work more collaboratively on joint development and potentially co-production of vital military and defense equipment.”

This trip marks Prime Minister Kishida’s first official visit to Washington, the first by a Japanese prime minister since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe‘s visit in 2015.

Why It Matters: The summit’s focus on North Korean threats comes in the wake of North Korea’s recent successful test-fire of a new mid- to long-range solid-fuel, hypersonic missile, supervised by Kim Jong Un. This event underscores North Korea’s continued defiance of UN economic sanctions, casting doubts on their effectiveness.

Additionally, the proposed trilateral cooperation with South Korea is significant in light of a summit proposal made by Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, to Japan. This unexpected move could potentially disrupt the tripartite alliance between Japan, the U.S., and South Korea, but also holds the potential for improved Japan-North Korea relations.

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