Biden And First Lady Welcome Japanese PM And His Wife At The White House

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife, Yuko Kishida, on Tuesday evening at the White House and treated them to a seafood dinner at a city restaurant.

Biden has invited the Japanese Prime Minister for a State Dinner on Wednesday as part of efforts to strengthen ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific region. The president had last year hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a State visit.

The President and First Lady welcomed Kishida Fumio and Kishida Yuko at the White House for a guest book signing and an official gift exchange. As the official gift, the President and First Lady presented a three-legged table handmade by a Japanese-American-owned company in Pennsylvania. The 17-inch table was crafted from American black walnut wood, one of the most precious woods native to North America. It also included a plaque to commemorate the Official Visit.

Biden gifted the PM a custom-framed lithograph and a two-volume LP set, both autographed by iconic American musical artist Billy Joel. The President also gifted Kishida a vintage vinyl record collection of great American music artists in a custom leather presentation box. The US First Lady gifted Kishida a framed painting of the Yoshino cherry tree that she planted with Kishida on the South Lawn last spring. She also presented an autographed soccer ball signed by the US Women's National Soccer Team and the Japanese Women's National Football Team before the United States and Japan played in the SheBelieves Cup semifinal match in Atlanta, Georgia, last weekend.

The couples then went to BlackSalt, a seafood restaurant in the Palisades neighbourhood of Northwest DC. The two leaders have met nearly a dozen times over the past three years in Tokyo, Washington, and in cities around the world.

"This official state visit will build on the immense progress between our two nations that we've made towards creating a safer and more secure Indo-Pacific, as well as mutual prosperity for our peoples," said US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. "Over the course of the visit, the president and the prime minister will highlight the high ambition of our alliance, in the defense and technology space but also across the board, deepening our partnerships on space, technology, economic investment, fighting climate change, coordinating global diplomacy, and strengthening our people-to-people ties."

According to the NSA, the two leaders will announce measures to enhance defense and cooperation of forces. "There will be major deliverables on space as we lead the way on space exploration and returning to the moon," Sullivan told reporters at a news conference. "There will be announcements of significant research partnerships between our leading institutions on critical and emerging technologies such as AI, quantum, semiconductors, and clean energy. All of this will strengthen our economic ties and economic security as we announce significant commercial deals as part of the state visit."

Japan is one of the largest providers of economic assistance and budget support to Ukraine, one of the largest investors in development and infrastructure in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. The visit will highlight Japan's continued role in global diplomacy and development and the coordination that the US and Japan have together with significant deliverables on global assistance and investment both inside and outside the Indo-Pacific, Sullivan said.

"We will also announce new initiatives to further foster our cultural connections and promote ties between current changemakers and future generations of leaders," he said. Following his visit, Kishida will initiate the evening that will carry through tomorrow, he said. "President Biden will welcome President Marcos of the Philippines to the White House on Thursday for his second bilateral meeting at the White House in as many years,” Sullivan said.

Biden is also slated to host the first-ever trilateral leaders summit between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines -- three closely aligned maritime democracies with increasingly convergent strategic objectives and interests. "Just this past week, our three countries and Australia held joint naval drills in the South China Sea. When I met with my Japanese and Filipino counterparts in Tokyo last June, we agreed to enhance our nation's trilateral partnership, and this week is a culmination of months of effort since that meeting in Tokyo last June," he said.

According to the NSA, the three leaders will announce initiatives to enhance energy security, economic and maritime cooperation, partnerships on technology and cybersecurity, and joint investments in critical infrastructure.

"With this first-ever leaders trilateral, we're continuing to deepen our cooperation with our closest partners to ensure what we've talked about many times from this podium and elsewhere, a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific," Sullivan said.