Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stressed Friday in a meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that his administration is making efforts to strengthen the bilateral security alliance and bolster Japan's defense guidelines.
During their meeting in Singapore, Biden noted the strategic role Japan must play as the United States "rebalances" its military assets toward the Asia-Pacific region, a Japanese official said.
Biden also said he sees it as important for the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade negotiations, in which both Japan and the United States are involved, to succeed given the growing importance of the region.