TOKYO — Potential US presidential candidate Ron DeSantis met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday and praised bilateral relations, especially the idea of a «strong Japan.»
The trip, officially part of a four-country trade mission, comes as the Florida governor seeks to burnish his foreign policy credentials ahead of the official announcement that he will run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, expected later this year. anus.
“We really appreciate what a great ally Japan has been to the United States for many, many decades,” DeSantis told Kishida at the start of their meeting at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo.
Japan last year unveiled a five-year, $315 billion military expansion in the face of an increasingly powerful China and as North Korea steps up its missile fires, a move DeSantis praised.
“We highly applaud your efforts to bolster your defenses. We understand that it’s a tough neighborhood here… and we really believe that a strong Japan is good for America, and a strong America is good for Japan,” he said.
DeSantis, who was scheduled to meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi later Monday, will travel to South Korea, Israel and Britain after leaving Japan.