US Secretaries of State, Defense to Visit Japan, South Korea
The visit, from March 15 to 18, to Tokyo and Seoul is the first overseas trip by top cabinet members of President Joe Biden’s administration and follows last week’s Quad alliance summit of the leaders of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India.
Issues on the agenda range from freedom of navigation in the South and East China Seas and semiconductor supply-chain security to the North Korean nuclear issue and a military coup in Myanmar, experts say.
The Quad summit pledged to work to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, a major priority for Tokyo, and cooperate on maritime, cyber and economic security in the face of challenges from Beijing.
“The most important thing that’s going to happen on this trip is that Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin are making Japan and Korea (and India for Secretary Austin) the first steps on their first trip to the region,” said Brian Harding, a Southeast Asia expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
“So, by touching down in Tokyo, in a lot of ways, it’ll already be successful, and sends an incredibly powerful signal about the priorities of this administration.”