Biden and Kishida to Bolster U.S.-Japan Alliance Amid China’s Growing Power

President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan met on Friday to discuss how to transform Japan into a military power as both nations grapple with growing challenges from China and to work on bolstering the alliance between the two nations as the linchpin for strengthening their security in Asia.

“We’re modernizing our military alliance, building on Japan’s historic increase in defense spending and new national security strategy,” Mr. Biden said as the two leaders sat in the White House Oval Office in front of a fireplace with a roaring blaze. “Let me be crystal clear: The United States is fully, thoroughly, completely committed to the alliance.”

Mr. Kishida is making his first trip to Washington since his election in October 2021, and one month after his government announced plans to strengthen its military capabilities and significantly increase military spending in the face of China’s rising power and repeated missile tests by North Korea.