During his recent visit to the United States, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida received great acclaim from both the public and political circles in Japan. The visit not only upgraded the historical significance of the US-Japan alliance but also solidified joint efforts against Communist countries as a consensus between the two nations. Experts point out that a quadripartite encirclement is taking shape to counter the Chinese Communist Party, making it a prevailing theme of the current era.
On April 18, following his return from the US, Prime Minister Kishida briefed the Japanese Parliament on his visit as a state guest to the US, his meeting with President Biden, and his address to the US Congress.
Currently, there are three vacant seats in the Japanese Senate awaiting election on April 28. These three seats could impact the balance of power in the parliament for various political parties. Opposition parties in Japan prepared themselves before the meeting to prevent Kishida from leveraging his gains from the US visit to reverse his unfavorable situation. However, after Kishida’s visit to the US, the public support for his cabinet increased by 3.7 percentage points, and opposition parties had to admit they lacked sufficient material to attack him.
During his parliamentary speech, Kishida highlighted that he spent a total of nine hours together with President Biden. Given the current international situation, the two countries engaged in high-level discussions on strategic matters and reached a consensus on the actions Japan and the US should take. He emphasized that on the basis of the strongest ever trust relationship, Japan and the US have become “international partners.”
Some left-wing Japanese political parties questioned whether the US military’s command system adjustment would lead to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces being under US command, which remains unclear. In response, Kishida stated that “all activities of the Self-Defense Forces are determined and carried out independently by Japan. The Self-Defense Forces and the US military operate under their respective independent command systems, and this principle remains unchanged.”
Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of the opposition National Democratic Party in Japan, commented, “The stable and solid Japan-US relationship has been affirmed, which is commendable. I sincerely evaluate that the Japan-US summit was successful.”
US President Biden also positively evaluated the outcomes of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s visit to the US.
Following the meeting between the leaders of the US and Japan, Biden announced that the US-Japan strategic partnership had entered a new era. During a joint press conference, Biden referred to the US-Japan alliance as a “beacon for the world. The possibilities for cooperation between the two countries and peoples are limitless.” He stated that this upgrade in their alliance is the most significant since its establishment.
After World War II, due to Japan being a defeated nation, its political and defense systems were significantly constrained by the allied countries led by the US. The most crucial agreement in this regard was the signing of the US-Japan Security Treaty on April 28, 1951, established formalizing the alliance relationship. In January 19…
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