US President Joe Biden is not holding a direct meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Instead, the two leaders will meet in a virtual discussion next Friday. The White House said in a statement on Monday that it had no information about the incident. The leaders of the two allied countries are meeting in this virtual meeting to further strengthen bilateral relations in the face of China’s growing influence.
A direct meeting was originally expected from Japan. However, the proliferation of coronavirus-infected omicron variants has led to the introduction of virtual meetings instead of direct meetings. White House Press Secretary Jane Sackie said in a statement that Friday’s talks would highlight the strength of the US-Japan alliance. He described the alliance between the two countries as the foundation of Indo-Pacific and world peace, security, and stability.
Japan is also in talks with France separately. Representatives from both countries are meeting to discuss China’s demands in the East and South China Seas and North Korea’s nuclear and missile development. According to a Japanese government source, the ministerial-level virtual meeting is scheduled for later this month.
