Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Japan Prime Minister Biden's First Guest With Push On 5G, Climate, China

Japan Prime Minister Biden's First Guest With Push On 5G, Climate, China

Opening his visit by meeting Vice President Kamala Harris, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga echoed Biden's language in saying the nations' relationship is "connected by universal values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law."

Japan's prime minister began the first summit of Joe Biden's presidency Friday with the allies expected to signal progress on 5G technology and climate change amid a concerted US push to compete with China.

Opening his visit by meeting Vice President Kamala Harris, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga echoed Biden's language in saying the nations' relationship is "connected by universal values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law."

"This is a time like no other in which the Japan-US alliance needs to be strong," Suga said.

Biden's decision to invite Suga as his first guest -- with South Korean President Moon Jae-in set to come in May -- is meant to show the value his administration puts on allies as he zeroes in on a rising China as America's most pressing challenge.

"I would say that this should send a strong message," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said of the invitations.

On another key priority of Biden, Psaki said that Suga was expected to announce a new 2030 target on reducing carbon emissions responsible for climate change.

The world's third largest economy promised under the Paris accord to reduce emissions by 26 percent by 2030 but from 2013 levels -- goals that experts say are not ambitious enough to meet Suga's goal of a carbon-neutral Japan in 2050.

Biden will lead a virtual summit next week in hopes of rallying greater commitments on climate amid growing evidence of a planetary crisis as average temperatures hit record highs and natural disasters become more frequent.

Alliance on 5G


A senior US official said that technology leader Japan would also announce a "very substantial commitment" of $2 billion in partnership with the United States "to work on 5G and next steps beyond."

China's Huawei has taken an early dominance in fifth-generation internet, which is becoming an increasingly crucial part of the global economy, despite heavy US pressure on the company, which Washington argues poses threats to security and privacy in the democratic world.

Biden and Suga will also discuss next moves on North Korea and growing tensions over Taiwan as the island has reported growing penetration of its airspace by Beijing, which claims the self-governing democracy.

"Neither country is seeking to raise tensions or to provoke China, but at the same time we're trying to send a clear signal that some of the steps that China is taking," the official said, are "antithetical to the mission of maintaining peace and stability."

While the timing was coincidental, the official said it was appropriate that Biden was shoring up relations with a top ally two days after his momentous decision to withdraw from Afghanistan after 20 years, ending the longest-ever US war.

The pullout will "free up time and attention and resources from our senior leadership and our military to focus on what we believe are the fundamental challenges in the 21st century and they lie fundamentally in the Indo-Pacific," the official told reporters.

Nuanced differences


Suga in September succeeded his ally Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, who was one of the few democratic allies to manage to preserve stable relations with Biden's volatile predecessor Donald Trump.

Biden's inaugural summit is being held unusually late in his term due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the White House has downsized the usual pageantry as a precaution, with no meal between the leaders and strict limits on the number of journalists and officials in each room.

Despite the good vibes, Suga is expected to balk at becoming an overenthusiastic cheerleader for the US line on China, which remains the vital top trading partner for resource-scarce Japan.

Tokyo since Abe's time has worked to stabilize relations with Beijing and not joined Washington in sanctions over rights concerns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

"The Biden administration, I think, is concerned at how aggressive China has been and how much ground the US has lost in recent years in Asia and wants to catch up quickly," said Michael Green, who was the top Asia adviser to former president George W. Bush and is now senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"I think the Japanese view is that they have had a strategy in place and they want to move forward steady as she goes," he said.

"So there's a bit of a nuanced difference in public tone but not in direction," he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×