Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held his first phone call as Japan’s new leader with U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday, a day after he reiterated a proposal to revise Tokyo’s Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Washington.
In their talks, Ishiba noted that the U.S.-Japan alliance “has been strengthened considerably” under his predecessor, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and pledged “to continue along that path.”
But, as the U.S. gears up for what is expected to be a close presidential election on Nov. 5, Ishiba — who was elected prime minister on Tuesday — said he had stressed to the American side that bolstering Japan’s defenses was not solely about breaking budgetary barriers as Tokyo aims to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defense by 2027.
“I spoke about strengthening Japan's defense capabilities, not just in terms of the amount of money spent, but also in terms of improving the quality and strengthening cooperation between Japan and the United States,” he said, adding that he also hopes to continue to further boost defense ties with “like-minded countries."
The two leaders also agreed to continue to closely coordinate on issues surrounding China, responses to North Korea — including nuclear and missile programs and the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang — and the situation in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Ishiba and Biden also said they would work toward holding a face-to-face summit meeting at an early date.
Asked if he had broached his idea of revising the SOFA pact, which sets out the legal status of U.S. bases and military personnel in Japan, Ishiba said the two leaders did not discuss the issue in detail in their initial talks.
“I think it would be good if we could discuss such matters at a future date,” he said.
Ishiba says the countries’ alliance needs to be set on a more equal footing and “must evolve with the times,” with his proposal to revise the SOFA deal seen as one measure intended to rectify this perceived imbalance.
Observers say that this approach, if handled improperly, could create friction in the alliance.
On Tuesday, however, Ishiba doubled down on his proposal, dismissing these fears as unfounded.
“There are concerns that revising SOFA will have an impact on the U.S.-Japan alliance, but I don't think that is the case at all,” he told a news conference. “I believe that revising SOFA will lead to a stronger alliance.”
But Ishiba was also clear that while he would not shelve the proposal, it wouldn’t come to fruition overnight.
“I don't expect it to suddenly become a reality just because I've become prime minister,” he said. “However, that doesn't mean I think we should give up, so we will steadily work on the issue.”
Ishiba also condemned large-scale missile attacks by Iran on Israel as "unacceptable," warning against an escalation into "full-on war" and pledging to work with the U.S. to help ease tensions.
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