THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
March 30, 2024 at 14:58 JST
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in Hiroshima in May 2023. (Pool)
Japan and the United States will agree to strengthen cooperation in advanced technology when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on April 10.
The draft of the joint statement to be issued after the meeting includes wording about working more closely together in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, along with the usual focus on defense cooperation.
It defines the bilateral relationship as a “global partnership” and emphasizes that the two nations will strengthen their roles as global leaders in such fields as AI, quantum technology, semiconductors and bio-research while cooperating with other partner nations.
The two leaders are expected to set up a framework for AI research and development through cooperation with U.S. semiconductor manufacturer Nvidia Corp., Arm Holdings, a major British semiconductor design company owned by SoftBank Group Corp., Amazon as well as the University of Washington and the University of Tsukuba.
According to sources, discussions are continuing over providing about $100 million (about 15 billion yen) for AI cooperation.
The two nations will also strengthen coordination in the energy and climate change fields. One energy field where cooperation is expected is offshore wind power generation in which Japan has strong potential given that it is surrounded by ocean.
Japan will participate in technological development projects being led by the U.S. Energy Department and the two sides are expected to work on reducing costs to promote the spread of new energy sources.
In defense cooperation, the two leaders will agree to strengthen command and control coordination between the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.
Kishida and Biden will also discuss the feasibility of allowing Japanese companies to handle major repair work for ships in the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet which operate in and around Japan.
The joint statement draft includes wording which criticizes Chinese actions in the East and South China seas as being contradictory to international law.
The statement will stress once again the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
After meeting with Biden, Kishida plans to visit an area in North Carolina where Toyota Motor Corp. is planning to construct a fuel cell factory for electric vehicles.
A government source said the visit was intended to demonstrate Japan’s eagerness to create jobs in the United States. While the Kishida administration is seeking to strengthen its ties with the current Biden administration, it also wants to prepare for the possibility of former President Donald Trump returning to office in the November election.
(This article was written by Shino Matsuyama and Kai Ichino.)
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