TOKYO – Defense and foreign ministers from the U.S. and Japan are to discuss their concern over China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region as the Biden administration tries to reaffirm engagement with its key regional allies.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are to hold so-called “two plus two” security talks on Tuesday with their Japanese counterparts, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.
The U.S. ministers arrived in Tokyo late Monday. President Joe Biden's decision to send his key ministers to Japan as their first overseas visit — rather than hosting Japanese officials in Washington — means a lot for Japan, which considers its alliance with the U.S. “the