President Joe Biden began his first full day in Japan by going to two Tokyo palaces before noon – first with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace and then with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishido at Akasaka Palace.
Biden’s meeting with Kishida was the first personal bilateral meeting between the two leaders when Japan’s prime minister took office in October. They met on the sidelines of the G7 in March in Brussels. Biden virtually met with Kishida in January.
“I want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for your strong leadership and your support of the Ukrainian people, it was welcomed more than you could know,” said Biden, sitting next to Kishida in a richly decorated room.
He commented on Kishida’s war: “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine undermines the foundations of the global order.”
Biden also told the prime minister that the US-Japan alliance “has long been a cornerstone of peace and prosperity and the Indo-Pacific region.”
“And the United States remains fully committed to Japan – defending Japan, and together we will face the challenges of today and the future,” Biden added.
The president did not answer press questions at the end of his introductory speech with Kishida, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Ram Emanuel was filmed on camera, laughing and grinning as journalists shouted for them to leave.
President Joe Biden (left) met with Japanese Prime Minister Fuma Kishida (right) on Monday morning at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo. Biden thanks Kishida for helping Japan support Ukraine
President Joe Biden (left) walks next to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) near Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Monday morning
President Joe Biden (right) put his hand to his heart to play on a star banner near Akasaka Palace in Tokyo when he first meets with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishido (left).
Japanese guard of honor carrying Japanese and American flags greets President Joe Biden at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Monday
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) with President Joe Biden (right) attends a welcoming ceremony Monday in Tokyo at the Akasaka Palace
When Biden arrived at Akasaka Palace, he was greeted considerably pomp and circumstance.
The Japanese guard of honor – dressed in white with red accents – was held with American and Japanese flags.
The military band played the flag with the stars and then the anthem of Japan.
Earlier in the Imperial Palace Biden was met by the emperor from the outside before they slipped inside for a private meeting.
Biden did not touch the emperor and did not bow.
“President Biden today called on His Majesty Emperor Naruhito to convey greetings on behalf of the American people, emphasizing the strength of US-Japan relations, which are rooted in deep international ties,” the White House said of Biden’s first stop.
President Joe Biden (left) welcomes Emperor Naruhito (right) to a meeting at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo – the first stop on Biden’s first full day in Japan
President Joe Biden (left) poses for a photo with Emperor Naruhito of Japan (right) near the Imperial Palace on Monday morning in Tokyo
President Joe Biden (left) enters the Imperial Palace on Monday morning in Tokyo with Emperor Naruhito of Japan (right)
Handout photo of President Joe Biden’s private meeting (left) Monday morning with Japanese Emperor Naruhito (right)
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishido (center right) looks at the site prepared for President Joe Biden’s welcoming ceremony on Monday
Security police visible on the streets of Tokyo ahead of President Joe Biden’s meeting Monday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishido
President Joe Biden (right) hugs US Ambassador to Japan Rama Emanuel (left) at Yokota Air Force Base in Tokyo, Japan
U.S. Ambassador to Japan, former Chicago Mayor Ram Emanuel (right), stands next to Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimos Hayashi (left) to welcome President Joe Biden to the country Sunday night
Biden’s first trip to Asia puts him face to face with three new leaders: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yol, Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
After Biden and Kishida hold a bilateral meeting, they will hold a joint press conference on Monday afternoon.
On Monday night, they dine together at Tokyo’s Kuchuon Restaurant.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yol, with whom Biden spent the weekend, has been in office for just 13 days.
They held an event at the Samsung plant, held a bilateral meeting and press conference, then Yoon invited Biden to the National Museum of Korea for a state dinner with a Korean dish. They spent part of Sunday together at Asan Air Base, thanking the US and Korean military.
On Tuesday, Biden will meet with Australian Albanese as part of the second personal Quad meeting, which will also be attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The incumbent won Saturday’s election in Australia over incumbent Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The White House confirmed on Sunday that Albanese will fly to Tokyo to meet the ATV as one of his first official duties.
First Lady Jill Biden defeated her husband in Asia when she headed a two-man U.S. delegation to the Tokyo Olympics in July, which was downsized due to a coronavirus pandemic.
She also met with Emperor Naruhita at the Imperial Palace. The First Lady also spent time at the Akasaka Palace with Japan’s previous leader, Prime Minister Yoshihide Sugai and his wife Marika.
While Biden will interact with new leaders, an old problem hung over his time in Asia: the threat of missile and nuclear tests from North Korea.
As of Monday morning, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un had conducted neither an intercontinental Balkan missile nor nuclear weapons.
Biden will personally meet with Japanese families who were abducted in North Korea along with Kishida on Monday afternoon.
From there, he debuts the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, or IPEF, with a number of countries in the region.
First Lady Jill Biden (left) traveled to Tokyo last summer and met with Japanese Emperor Naruhito (right) at an event to welcome all heads of delegation to the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
First Lady Jill Biden waved to reporters when she arrived at the Imperial Palace last July for an event hosted by Emperor Naruhito of Japan.
