Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. File photoTOKYO, May 23Japan and the United States must lead the world to implement the principle of an «open and free Indo-Pacific», as stated in the welcoming speech before the start of negotiations with US President Joe Biden in an expanded format said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. «I am delighted to welcome President Biden on his first visit to Japan in this capacity. This visit demonstrates that whatever the circumstances, the United States is stepping up its involvement in Indo-Pacific issues… It is at times like these Japan and the United States should lead the world to realize the rule of law (principle) of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.In this regard, I hope that President Biden's visit to Japan and the bilateral Japan-US summit will be meaningful,» Kishida said. The meeting with the participation of delegations was preceded by a personal conversation between the two leaders, at which only interpreters were present. As expected, during the bilateral meeting The leaders will discuss issues of strengthening US-Japanese allied relations, taking into account the situation around Ukraine and the strengthening of China's presence in the region. The parties will note a common approach to security issues in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, emphasize the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and call on China to be more nuclear transparent and join in the reduction of nuclear weapons. In addition, the leaders of the two countries are expected to advocate expanding cooperation in such areas as high technology, space exploration, work on a new generation of semiconductors.
