Japan-U.S. Alliance Made Stroger Under Biden, Says Ishiba; PM Pushing to Meet Soon with Trump

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:34 JST, January 8, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba voiced appreciation for the strengthening of the Japan-U.S. alliance under the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Ishiba wants to meet soon with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, as he aims to maintain and develop relations with the Trump administration, which will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.

“I want to work on developing the Japan-U.S. relationships that have been built with President Biden,” Ishiba told Blinken at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Blinken, who is stepping down from his post, said that over the past four years, Japan and the United States have become global partners in tackling the world’s challenges together.

The Biden administration, which began in 2021, has placed cooperation with Japan at the core of its efforts to counter China, Russia and North Korea. It has promoted multilateral partnerships among Japan, the United States and South Korea; Japan, the United States and the Philippines; and Japan, the United States, Australia and India.

The administration also established an “economic two-plus-two” ministerial meeting of Japan and U.S. economic ministers, strengthening economic security, including in the supply chain for semiconductors.