Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden hailed the “evolution” of the two countries’ alliance as they face down vexing geopolitical challenges together — including the rise of China and the war in Ukraine — as the two leaders held bilateral talks in Hiroshima a day ahead of a Group of Seven summit.
“The bottom line is that when our countries stand together, we stand stronger and I believe the whole world is safer when we do,” Biden told reporters ahead of their 70-minute meeting in the atomic-bombed city.
The U.S. leader noted Tokyo’s robust response to an increasingly complex regional security environment — one where China has threatened self-ruled Taiwan with large-scale military exercises and Russia has sent its warships on ominous voyages around the Japanese archipelago — saying that he was “proud” of the two allies’ willingness to “stand up” for shared values.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.