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For anyone who chooses a life in politics, the prospect of a long, private discussion with the President of the United States must seem like the ultimate career highlight.
For Japan’s Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, 72 – who has spent many years in the political background – it must have felt a particular honor to be feted as a VIP in Washington. On April 17, he became the first national leader to meet Joe Biden for face-to-face talks at the White House.
Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions, there was no grand banquet for Mr. Suga and his entourage following the meeting. His wife stayed in Tokyo. And media attention was less intense than usual, with only a handful reporters on the famous Rose Garden lawn of the White House.
Affirming his ironclad support for the US-Japanese alliance, President Joe Biden on Friday said that both the countries are committed to work together to take on the challenges posed by China to ensure the future of free and open Indo-Pacific. Today, Prime Minister Suga and I affirmed our iron-clad support for the US-Japanese alliance and for our shared security. We committed to working together to take on the challenges from China and on issues like the East China Sea, the South China Sea as well as North Korea to ensure the future of our free and open Indo-Pacific, Biden said after a meeting with Japan s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Japan defense chief and top U.S. commander in Pacific vow to deepen security ties Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
Adm. Philip Davidson (left), the outgoing commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi bump arms before their talks in Tokyo on Monday. | KYODO
Kyodo Apr 12, 2021
Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and Adm. Philip Davidson, the outgoing commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, agreed Monday to deepen security ties to counter China’s growing maritime assertiveness in the East and South China seas.
Apr 6, 2021
As Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga gears up for his trip to Washington late next week, one potential discussion topic could throw a wet blanket over his excitement: Japan’s role in advocating for human rights through diplomacy.
As much as Tokyo is elated over having the first foreign leader to meet U.S. President Joe Biden in person since his inauguration and reaffirmation of Washington’s commitment to national security cooperation, there are worries that the meeting could be used by Biden to compel Suga to augment the Japanese government’s contributions to defending human rights in Asia.
Although the top diplomats of both nations view themselves as defenders of human rights, the reality is much more complex the two are not entirely on the same page on how to approach the issue. Indeed, while Japan has expressed concerns over China and Myanmar, it is the only member of the Group of Seven that has not deployed sanctions, citing the lack of a legal basis d