Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held his first phone call as Japan’s new leader with U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday, a day after he reiterated a proposal to revise Tokyo’s Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Washington.
In their talks, Ishiba noted that the U.S.-Japan alliance “has been strengthened considerably” under his predecessor, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and pledged “to continue along that path.”
But, as the U.S. gears up for what is expected to be a close presidential election on Nov. 5, Ishiba — who was elected prime minister on Tuesday — said he had stressed to the American side that bolstering Japan’s defenses was not solely about breaking budgetary barriers as Tokyo aims to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defense by 2027.
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