The summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday was a testament that the Asian ally is at the front-and-center of the U.S. strategy to counter China's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
But what awaits the decades-old alliance is the actual work to upgrade itself to meet the rising threats and challenges posed by Beijing, which may require further coordination in areas ranging from Taiwan and human rights to trade.
Under the Biden presidency, Japan has frequently been in the spotlight, having become the first destination of overseas trips by the U.S. secretaries of state and defense, joining the first-ever summit of the Quad grouping also involving Australia and India, and Suga becoming the first foreign leader to visit the White House.