Japan’s Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, talked about how important it is for Japan to work closely with the United States to keep the region stable. On Friday, January 20th, he explained this to his country’s parliament.
Ishiba said the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region is changing. He believes Japan and the U.S. must cooperate even more to keep things stable. Japan also needs the U.S. to stay committed to the region to avoid problems like conflicts or insecurity.
The reason for these concerns is China’s growing military power in the Asia-Pacific. Japan is also worried about U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies, which may make Japan pay more for its defense.
Ishiba believes that Japan and the U.S. working together is key to creating a safer and more open Indo-Pacific. He wants to build stronger security networks with other countries like Australia, India, South Korea, and the Philippines.
Ishiba is hoping to meet President Trump soon to talk about these important topics. Media reports say the meeting could happen next month in the United States.
In the past, Ishiba had a short phone conversation with Trump in November, but their planned meeting didn’t happen before Trump’s inauguration. However, in December, Trump had a private dinner with Akie Abe, the wife of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated last year. Trump also made big business announcements with the Japanese tech company SoftBank, which promised to invest billions of dollars into the U.S. economy.
