Kishida, Biden Confirm Japan-U.S. Global Partnership

Wilmington, Delaware, Sept. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed the importance of their countries' global partnership at their meeting Saturday morning.

They emphasized the need to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance, affirming their countries' roles as global partners central to maintaining international order.

The meeting, which lasted about an hour, took place at Biden's private residence in Wilmington, Delaware. To Kishida, it was his final one-on-one meeting with Biden as prime minister because he will leave office after his Liberal Democratic Party picks its new leader succeeding him Friday.

In the meeting, Biden praised Kishida's leadership over the past three years in office, highlighting his support for Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion and efforts to improve Japan's relations with South Korea.

Kishida emphasized that "the Japan-U.S. alliance has grown stronger than ever under Biden's leadership." The two leaders agreed to further deepen bilateral cooperation in the area of security.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]