THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 3, 2021 at 13:33 JST
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with U.S. President Joe Biden on Nov. 2 in Glasgow on the sidelines of the U.N. Climate Change Conference. (Provided by Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
GLASGOW--Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance in a brief meeting on Nov. 2 on the sidelines of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) here.
It marked their first face-to-face meeting since Kishida was chosen as prime minister in early October.
Kishida later told reporters that the two leaders agreed that he would fly to Washington as soon as possible for a more extended meeting.
When pressed by reporters, Kishida said such a U.S. trip might be possible before the year-end.
According to Foreign Ministry officials who briefed reporters, in addition to further cooperating to strengthen the two nations' alliance, they pledged to work toward a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Kishida departed Japan early on the morning of Nov. 2 just two days after leading his ruling Liberal Democratic Party to a decisive victory in the Lower House election.
Besides addressing the COP26 conference, Kishida also met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose strong request for Kishida’s attendance was a major factor behind the hurried trip. Kishida was to leave Britain without staying overnight.
This was Kishida’s first overseas trip since becoming prime minister.
In explaining the tight schedule, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a Nov. 2 news conference, “It was extremely significant that he came here to express Japan’s commitment” to climate change.
Kishida had met with Johnson on four occasions when he served as foreign minister under then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but the Nov. 2 meeting was their first face-to-face one as Japan’s prime minister.
Japan considers Britain a strategic global partner and has welcomed Britain’s increased interest in the Indo-Pacific region, such as through the dispatch of the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier.
(This article was written by Ryo Aibara in Tokyo and Junya Sakamoto in Glasgow.)
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