US President Joe Biden has endorsed Japan’s plan to beef up its defence capabilities as he and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida committed to working closely to counter China’s growing influence in Asia.
The US president, on his first trip to Asia since taking office, commended Kishida’s determination to strengthen Japan’s defence capabilities, the White House said in a statement following their meeting on Monday.
The two leaders committed to working closely on China’s “increasingly coercive behaviour that runs counter to international law”, it said, signalling growing concern about China’s assertiveness and reach across security and supply chains.
The two were expected to hold a joint news conference.
Separately, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said that Biden...
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