Japan's Kishida: discussed China, N.Korea with Biden

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he and President Joe Biden discussed subjects including China, North Korea and plans to bolster Japan's defense force in their meeting in Washington on Wednesday.

"We agreed that our two countries will continue to respond to challenges concerning China through close coordination. At the same time, we confirmed the importance of continuing our dialogue with China and cooperating with China on common challenges," Kishida told reporters.

"I explained that based on our national security strategy, Japan is determined to strengthen our defence force through acquisition of counter-strike capabilities, increase our defence budget and other initiatives, and was reassured by President Biden of his strong support for such efforts," Kishida said.