TOKYO — Potential U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Monday met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and lauded bilateral ties, particularly the thought of a “robust Japan.”
The journey, formally a part of a four-country commerce mission, comes because the Florida governor seeks to burnish overseas coverage credentials forward of an official announcement that he’ll run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, anticipated later this yr.
“We actually respect what a terrific ally Japan has been to the U.S. for a lot of, many many years,” DeSantis instructed Kishida at the beginning of their assembly on the prime minister’s workplace in Tokyo.
Japan final yr unveiled a five-year, $315 billion navy enlargement within the face of an more and more highly effective China and as North Korea steps up its missile launches, a transfer that DeSantis praised.
“We very a lot applaud your efforts to bolster your defenses. We perceive it’s a troublesome neighborhood out right here … and we actually imagine {that a} robust Japan is nice for America, and a robust America is nice for Japan,” he stated.
DeSantis, who was set to satisfy with Japanese International Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi afterward Monday, will head to South Korea, Israel and Britain after leaving Japan.