Biden and Kishida create a new U.S.-Japan partnership

President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced plans for military cooperation and projects ranging from building missiles to participating in a lunar mission, strengthening their alliance to counter China and Russia.

Biden and Kishida did not respond to a reporter’s question about Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel’s offer to buy U.S. U.S. Steel, saying the issue was not key to their discussions.

“This is the most significant strengthening of our alliance since its inception,” Biden said after about two hours of talks centered on the troubled Indo-Pacific region and China’s actions.

Kishida said the two leaders discussed tensions between Taiwan and China and pledged to maintain an international order based on law. Chinese leader Xi Jinping said recently that outside interference cannot stop the island’s “family reunification” with mainland China.

“Unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion are totally unacceptable wherever they occur,” Kishida said. The U.S. and Japan will continue to respond to such actions, including challenges from China, he said.

“As for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine … What happens in Ukraine today could happen in East Asia tomorrow,” Kishida said.

Biden also pledged to maintain open channels of communication with China and said the U.S.-Japan alliance is defensive in nature. He spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week.

Biden said the two countries’ militaries will cooperate in a joint command structure and they will work with Australia to develop a new missile defense network. The two leaders also announced that Japanese astronauts will take part in NASA’s lunar missions.

Kishida will address Congress on Thursday and join Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a meeting expected to focus on Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea.

Kishida is being greeted with great honors in the U.S. capital, with Japanese flags adorning Washington. The White House is hosting a state dinner Wednesday night, with guests including former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, secretary of state in the Barack Obama administration, actor Robert De Niro, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.