US Secretary of State Antony Blinken greeting Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya at the start of their working lunch at a hotel in Tokyo on Jan 7, 2025. - Reuters
TOKYO: Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded the close economic and security partnership between the US and Japan, about two weeks ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Blinken met Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday (Jan 7) in Tokyo as part of a trip that spans from Asia to Europe, as his stint as secretary of state draws to a close. He’s set to meet Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba later in the day.
"One of the things he and we are proudest of is the strength of this relationship” with Japan, Blinken said in Tokyo, referring to President Joe Biden. "The world doesn’t stop. It doesn’t wait for our transitions.”
Blinken’s visit comes as lawsuits to challenge Biden’s decision to block a merger between Nippon Steel Corp and United States Steel Corp cause an unusual stir over business relationships between the two allies. Blinken and Iwaya didn’t mention the matter during opening remarks at their luncheon.
"The Japan-US partnership grew stronger than ever in the past four years,” said Iwaya.
On Monday, Blinken visited South Korea to also reaffirm US security ties with Seoul just as North Korea launched what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters.
During Biden’s presidency, Washington forged close security relations with Seoul and Tokyo, but with Biden’s departure, all three leaders behind the improved ties will be gone.
Ishiba, whose minority government faces challenges in carrying out domestic policy measures, has voiced concerns over the dispute regarding the steelmakers’ proposed meger.
The prime minister said that the government is taking seriously Japanese companies’ worries over future investments, and asked the US to both assuage concerns, and clarify why the deal would impact national security. - Bloomberg
