US & Japan Boost Military Ties, Plan Joint Moon Missions
US President Joe Biden and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have announced plans to upgrade US-Japan military relations, with both sides looking to tighten cooperation amid concerns about North Korea's nuclear program and China's increasing military assertiveness in the Pacific.
Speaking at a Rose Garden press conference on April 11, following their private Oval Office talks, Kishida and Biden also confirmed Japan's participation in NASA's Artemis moon program and the inclusion of two Japanese astronauts on future moon-landing missions.
One of those Japanese astronauts will become the first non-American astronaut to set foot on the moon.
Kishida said the moon program plan was a "huge achievement" and announced that Japan would supply a moon rover developed by Toyota Motor Corp.
The agreement for increased military cooperation includes plans for a joint command structure between the US and Japan, the creation of a joint air and missile defense network with Australia, and three-way military exercises with the UK.
However, Biden emphasized that the alliance with Japan was "purely defensive" and "not aimed at any one nation or a threat to the region" but intended to restore regional stability.
Biden and Kishida also told reporters they were open to direct talks between Japan and North Korea over the abduction of Japanese citizens during the 1970s and 1980s and other issues. Kishida's previous calls for talks have been rejected by Pyongyang.
A day earlier, Biden had heaped praise on Kishida for his leadership on a series of global crises as he welcomed the Japanese leader to the White House for talks that touched on the security situation in the Pacific, the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"The unbreakable alliance between Japan and the United States is the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world," Biden said during the arrival ceremony.
Kishida said, "The cooperation between our countries bound together by common values and commitment has become a global one with the scope and depth covering outer space and the deep sea."
Kishida also announced that Japan is giving 250 cherry trees to the US to mark America's coming 250th birthday in 2026.
