Jan. 25 (UPI) — The Japanese prime minister plans to visit the United States in April.
President Joe Biden is set to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for an official visit to the United States on April. 10, according to a White House press release.
During the visit, the two leaders will discuss efforts to strengthen “political, security, economic and people-to-people ties” for the United States and Japan to advance a “shared vision for a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region and world.”
“The visit will underscore the enduring strength of our alliance partnership, the unwavering U.S. commitment to Japan, and Japan’s increasing global leadership role,” the statement read.
Kishida’s visit comes at a time of increasing tension in the East Sea region. North Korea last week tested an “underwater nuclear weapon system” in response to a joint maritime exercise held by the United States, Japan and South Korea.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency said its weapon system with “continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the U.S. and its allies.”
Earlier the same week, North Korea test-fired a new solid-fuel missile with hypersonic warhead, which traveled for 310 miles before landing in the East Sea.
Japan’s Defense Ministry condemned the missile launch, saying North Korea’s “repeated launches of ballistic missiles, threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community.”
Japan earlier in January launched a spy satellite to aid its abilities to monitor North Korea and natural disasters. The launch followed China putting its own spy satellite into orbit the same week.
North Korea said it launched its first spy satellite last year, with plans to send more into orbit throughout 2024.
In addition to geopolitical challenges faced by Japan in the region, the nation also was rocked by a massive earthquake on New Year’s Day. Authorities counted 206 deaths either directly related to the earth quake or due to heath issues that deteriorated in the aftermath of the quake.
