U.S. President Joe Biden will hold talks with Japenese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday ahead of the Group of Seven leaders’ summit from Friday to Sunday in Hiroshima, the White House has announced, EDnews informs via The Japan Times.
Questions had emerged earlier over Biden’s attendance after he said he could miss the G7 summit or attend virtually due to ongoing negotiations over the U.S. federal debt limit. But the White House said Sunday that the visit would go on as planned, with Biden becoming just the second sitting U.S. president to visit the atomic-bombed city. He is set to leave Washington on Wednesday and visit the following day.
The talks Thursday between the U.S. leader and Kishida will likely focus on the two countries’ alliance, the war in Ukraine and regional security.
Also on the agenda for the Biden-Kishida talks will be the improving relations between Japan and South Korea after years of chilly ties.
Leaders of the three countries are set to hold a trilateral meeting on the G7 summit sidelines. The three are expected to discuss “strategic coordination measures” to upgrade cooperation to face “shared challenges” including North Korean nuclear threats, supply chain problems and energy security, according to South Korea’s Presidential Office.
