Prime Minister Kishida met with President Biden in Washington recently. That meeting comes as Japan announced it would double its defense budget over the next five years in the largest military build up since World War II.
- 2023 will be a challenging year, so meeting with Biden at the beginning of year was important because “our partnership matters greatly in taking on these challenges,” Japan’s ambassador to the U.S. Tomita Koji said.
- Japan is planning on keeping a defense-oriented approach, instead of an offensive approach, but with the changing security environment, Amb. Tomita believes Japan needs to increase the level at which it is able to protect itself.
- Japan and the U.S. have a long history together and are working to protect Japan’s economic security through protecting the country’s supply chains and critical infrastructure, he explained.
