On April 16, Biden and Kan left the press conference with a pat on each other’s shoulders, appearing to be close.
According to Japanese media, the U.S.-Japan summit held on April 16 ended with the two heads of state talking so much that they did not even have time to eat the burgers prepared by the U.S. side for lunch.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden held their first face-to-face meeting at the White House on the morning of April 16, which lasted about two and a half hours.
At the beginning of the meeting, Kan and Biden held a “one-on-one” meeting with only an interpreter. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the “one-on-one” meeting lasted about 20 minutes and focused on private areas such as the two heads of state’s families and life experiences.
Speaking to Japanese reporters after the meeting, Kan said the two sides had a good conversation and “were so enthusiastic that they didn’t have time to eat (burgers) at all before the meeting ended. The U.S. side prepared a burger for lunch for the two heads of state.
Before the meeting was held, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said to the public that the summit would not hold a banquet because of epidemic prevention.
But Biden “revealed” at the press conference that he had a “private dinner” with Kan. He also talked about his past visit to Japan in 2011 when he was vice president to the 311 earthquake victims.
Biden said, “There’s nothing like actually meeting and talking,” and used the word “yoshi” to address Kan.
Kan also called Biden by his first name, “Joe,” and the two heads of state spoke in a way that made the relationship seem warm.
Biden said he believes the U.S.-Japan alliance will continue to be strong and vibrant even after decades of friendship between the two countries, based on the personal emotional ties between the U.S. and Japan.
After the press conference, the two men patted each other on the shoulder as they left the venue, once again demonstrating the closeness of the two heads of state to the outside world.
Kan was the first foreign head of state to visit since Biden took office, underscoring the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance. The threat of the Chinese Communist Party, which the U.S. and Japan will be dealing with together, is currently growing. In particular, intensive Chinese provocations against Taiwan have put the U.S. and Japan on heightened alert.
The joint statement following the U.S.-Japan summit mentioned, “We emphasize the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.”
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