President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan meet at a historic moment for our Alliance, the Indo-Pacific, and the world.
Our cooperation today is unprecedented, rooted in our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and a peaceful and prosperous world, guided by our shared values including the rule of law. At the same time, the Indo-Pacific faces growing challenges, from actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order by China to provocations by North Korea. In Europe, meanwhile, Russia continues to wage its unjust and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion, anywhere in the world. Taken together, this landscape demands that the United States and Japan continue to strengthen our individual and collective capacity. To that end, President Biden commended Japan’s bold leadership in fundamentally reinforcing its defense capabilities and strengthening diplomatic efforts, as illustrated in the new National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program. This investment will bolster security across the Indo-Pacific and beyond and modernize the U.S.-Japan relationship for the 21st century.
Our security Alliance has never been stronger. The two leaders reaffirmed that the Alliance remains the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. President Biden reiterated the unwavering commitment of the United States to the defense of Japan under Article V of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, using its full range of capabilities, including nuclear. He also reaffirmed that Article V applies to the Senkaku Islands. In their Security Consultative Committee (“2+2”), our foreign and defense ministers highlighted the exceptional progress we have made toward modernizing our Alliance. Together, we have aligned our collective force posture and deterrence capabilities to meet new and emerging threats, including in the cyber and space domains. The leaders also instructed their ministers to reinforce cooperation on the development and effective employment of Japan’s counterstrike and other capabilities. We have deepened cooperation on critical and emerging technologies that are crucial for national security. We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions. President Biden reaffirms U.S. commitment to the immediate resolution of the abductions issue. We emphasize that our basic positions on Taiwan remain unchanged, and reiterate the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community. We encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. We also recognize that the challenges we face transcend geography. United across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, we have stood together in firm opposition to Russia’s unjust and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, and we will continue to impose sanctions on Russia, and provide unwavering support for Ukraine. We state unequivocally that any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine would be an act of hostility against humanity and unjustifiable in any way. And we will continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s abhorrent attacks on critical infrastructure.
The United States and Japan also reaffirm our economic leadership. As the two largest democratic economies in the world, we look forward to advancing domestic and global prosperity and upholding a free, fair and rules-based economic order through Japan’s Presidency of the G7 and the United States’ hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The two leaders discussed priorities for the G7 Hiroshima Summit and will continue to work closely toward a successful summit so as to demonstrate the G7’s commitment to upholding the international order based on the rule of law. Building on our efforts in the U.S.-Japan Competitiveness and Resilience (CoRe) Partnership, including through the Economic Policy Consultative Committee, we will sharpen our shared edge on economic security, including protection and promotion of critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors; space, including through our new bilateral Space Framework Agreement; and clean energy and energy security, where we have deepened our cooperation on nuclear energy while upholding the highest nonproliferation standards. We will build resilience in our societies and supply chains among like-minded partners against threats such as economic coercion, non-market policies and practices and natural disasters, accelerate global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, and advance data free flow with trust. The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) is at the center of achieving these goals. As inclusive democracies, we will ensure economic prosperity is broadly shared across our societies and recommit to achieving gender equity and equality as well as women’s empowerment. Globally, we will work together to drive sustainable progress to net zero, evolve the multilateral development banks to better address global challenges, and improve creditor coordination to provide debt relief. We will condemn all who use their economic power to take advantage of others, including Russia’s undermining of energy and food security around the world. We also call on China to report adequate transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data regarding the spread of COVID-19, to enable public health officials around the world be prepared to reduce the spread and identify any potential new variants.
With an unbreakable bilateral relationship as our foundation, we will also collaborate with others, in the region and beyond, for the benefit of the Indo-Pacific and the world. Together with Australia and India, we will ensure the Quad continues to be a force for good, committed to bringing tangible benefits to the region, including by delivering results on global health, cybersecurity, climate, critical and emerging technologies, and maritime domain awareness. We will continue supporting ASEAN centrality and unity as well as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. We commit to strengthening vital trilateral cooperation among Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States, in security and other domains. And we will bolster our growing collaboration in the Pacific Islands, including through the Partners in the Blue Pacific. President Biden congratulated Japan on the start of its two-year term on the UN Security Council and on its presidency for the month of January. We begin 2023 together as the closest of allies and friends, newly committed to achieving peace and prosperity, not only through our words but through our actions. The times demand no less.
