CNN
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As President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met privately in Tokyo last year, Biden delivered a message that was as strategic as it was genuine.
US support for a more assertive defense and security posture from Japan was understood, but Biden made clear that if there was anything he could offer to bolster – or provide cover for – that effort, it should be considered on the table.
Eight months later, the product of that one-on-one meeting was marked by another. This time the backdrop was the Oval Office.
“Let me be crystal clear,” Biden said as he sat beside Kishida surrounded by cameras. “The United States is fully, thoroughly, completely committed to the alliance.”
For Biden and his national security team, Kishida’s visit serves as equal parts culmination and continuation of a foundational effort pursued since the…
