2024-04-11 16:20:19
The US, Japan and Australia are launching a common air defense system. This was announced by US President Joe Biden during a meeting at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, world agencies reported.
The visit is focused on strengthening ties between these countries before China.
“For the first time, Japan, the United States and Australia will create a network of air defense missiles and a defense architecture,” Biden said at a joint press conference with Kishida.
The president also said that a Japanese person would be the first non-American to set foot on the moon.
“Two Japanese astronauts will participate in future American missions, and one of them will be the first non-American to land on the moon,” Biden said.
For his part, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida called for peace and stability on the Taiwan issue in the context of tensions with China.
“We emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and reaffirmed our position of promoting a peaceful solution to cross-strait issues,” Kishida said.
He clarified that he discussed various issues with Biden, including China, North Korea and plans to strengthen Japan’s defense forces.
“We agreed that our two countries will continue to respond to China’s challenges through close cooperation. At the same time, we reaffirm our continued dialogue with China and cooperation with China on common challenges,” Kishida said.
He added that he explained to Biden that based on Japan’s national security strategy, Japan is determined to strengthen its defense forces by acquiring capabilities to repel attacks, increasing its defense budget and other initiatives. Biden has assured Kishida that he strongly supports these efforts of Japan in the field of defense, writes BTA.
Along those lines, Biden said the US and Japan are taking steps to modernize their command and control structures in Japan to increase operational interoperability and planning. He called the strengthening of defense cooperation with Japan the most significant step since the alliance between the two countries was established.