“U.S. leadership is indispensable,” Kishida said. He asked, “Without American support, how long will it take for Ukraine's hopes to collapse under Moscow's attack? And without the presence of the United States, how long will it take for the Indo-Pacific region to face a harsher reality?”
The Japanese Prime Minister appeals to the Americans for their support for Ukraine, because the House of Representatives has been frustrating a new aid package for months. Kiev is suffering from a major shortage of materials, and President Joe Biden wants to help the Ukrainians, but Republicans are obstructing that.
State visit
Kishida is in Washington on a state visit and to hold a summit with the United States and the Philippines to discuss the situation in the East China Sea. Tokyo and Manila fear that Beijing will take an increasingly aggressive stance there. Kishida is the second Japanese prime minister to address the US Congress.
According to Kishida, Japan is positioning itself as a loyal ally of the United States and is currently investing heavily in the military. The Prime Minister says the world is at a “historic turning point” and that freedom and democracy are under pressure. He warned of North Korea's nuclear program, but believes that China is the biggest challenge to the world. “China's current posture and military actions pose an unprecedented and greatest strategic challenge not only to Japan's peace and security, but also to the international community as a whole.”
Japan and the United States agreed on Wednesday to strengthen their military relations. They will, among other things, develop an air defense network in cooperation with Australia, and the US military command in Japan will be restructured. The idea is to make the US and Japanese armed forces more resilient in crises, such as the Chinese invasion of Japan.
