President Biden on Thursday stated the Group of Seven nations faces one of the vital advanced safety environments in latest historical past, however he’s “proud that the United States and Japan are facing it together” as he kicked off an abbreviated Asia journey by sitting down with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Mr. Biden began the bilateral assembly in Mr. Kishida’s hometown of Hiroshima by thanking him for his stewardship of the G-7 this yr and repeating his dedication to a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

He additionally stated Ukraine might be entrance and heart because the seven rich economies meet over the weekend.

“We stand up for the shared values including supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign territory and holding Russia accountable for its brutal aggression,” Mr. Biden stated.

Mr. Kishida stated the connection between Japan and the U.S. — which dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese host metropolis on the shut of World War II — has “evolved by leaps and bounds” and demonstrated “strong cooperation in all areas.”

He stated Micron, an American laptop firm, is doing analysis in Hiroshima, and Japan is planning for a worldwide startup campus in Tokyo in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Mr. Biden pointed to deepening cooperation at universities and throughout the quantum computing and semiconductor industries.

“I want to thank you for Japan’s commitment to increase investment in these areas,” Mr. Biden stated. “The bottom line Mr. Prime Minister is that when our countries stand together, we stand stronger, and I believe the whole world is safer when we do.”

Mr. Biden, seated between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, at one level mistakenly referred to Mr. Kishida as “Mr. President.”

Mr. Biden is assembly with the leaders of the seven largest international economies to debate a unified method to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, coping with Chinese aggression and different matters, although fears of a U.S. debt default threaten to overshadow the talks.

He had initially scheduled a weeklong three-nation journey that included stops in Papua New Guinea and Australia after the G-7 assembly in Japan. He scrapped these visits and introduced he’d return to Washington and resume debt ceiling negotiations with congressional leaders.

The White House stated Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed is touring with Mr. Biden as a result of he has been a key participant in negotiations with Congress and might be updating the president on the standing of the talks.

During the journey, Mr. Biden stopped at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, and was greeted with loud applause from about 400 American and Japanese troops gathered inside.

The president walked alongside the barricade to shake fingers and take selfies with the troops earlier than getting within the helicopter for Hiroshima.

• Jeff Mordock contributed to this report.

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