46th President of the U.S, Joe Biden (left), and the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga (right), held a phone call to discuss issues. (Image via SCMP)

Joe Biden: U.S will always protect Japan

On Wednesday, the 46th President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, held the first phone call with the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga. The new POTUS reinstated the U.S commitment to defending Japan, reassuring the bilateral relations' stability after the tumultuous Trump's administration.

In the call, the U.S assured Japan that Washington's commitment to defending Japan is unwavering, promising more deterrence to Japan. Moreover, in the call, both Biden and Suga also agreed to the immediate denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

When Trump took the position, the U.S' Asian allies kept questioning whether the U.S will also help them in times of distress, as promised. The question came as the 45th POTUS kept considering withdrawing 20,000 U.S military from Japan and S. Korea. The U.S military personnel are stationed there to protect both countries from the incoming military attack from their neighbor, N. Korea.

While Biden is cleaning the mess made by Trump's policies, his administration plans to continue some of Trump's diplomatic issues, starting by toughening up on China. During his 4-year tenure, Trump picked trade fights with China, met with the N. Korean President, Kim Jong-un, and considering the possibility of withdrawing the U.S troops from the region, causing the Asian allies to question the U.S commitment to the trilateral defense agreement.

Washington also backed Tokyo on its stance over the Senkaku Islets. The islets are also claimed by China, who call it Diaoyu Islets. Biden and Suga then discussed regional security issues regarding the growing assertiveness shown by China and N. Korea. Then, they agreed to the necessity of the denuclearization of the whole Korean Peninsula.

Suga is certain to visit Washington as soon as possible, yet the state visit will have to see the condition of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation in both countries. Yet, the Summer Olympic was not included in the talks between the two. As COVID-19 is still raging and the mass vaccination in Japan has not started yet, the Summer Olympics panned negativity and criticisms.

Before sworn as the new POTUS on 20 January, Biden was already a member of the Senate foreign relations committee. That was even before he became the VP to the 44th POTUS, Barack Obama. Together with Obama, they promoted the U.S as a Pacific Power. After the 2020 Presidential Election in November 2020, Suga already warned Biden that the situation in the Asia-Pacific region is severe.

Source: https://bit.ly/2Ma3WAo