Iran Press/ Asia: US President Joe Biden met virtually with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday morning to discuss a range of regional security concerns as well as the ongoing crisis on Ukraine’s shared border with Russia.
The online meeting, their first substantial talks since Kishida became Japan's prime minister in October, followed "two-plus-two" discussions this month at which defense and foreign ministers from the longtime allies voiced strong concern about China's growing might and vowed to respond if necessary to destabilizing activity in the Indo-Pacific.
Kishida said he and Biden had agreed to cooperate to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, to work closely on China and the North Korean missile issue and also to cooperate on Ukraine.
He also said Japan would host a meeting of the Quad grouping of the United States, Japan, Australia and India in the first half of this year with Biden visiting.
The talks between Biden and Kishida also come on the heels of reports that North Korea is considering renewed tests of its nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. 219
