US official in Japan to reassure Asian allies of security commitments ahead of planned Blinken trip
- US assistant secretary of state Daniel Kritenbrink to visit Tokyo as part of groundwork for Antony Blinken’s trip to China in early 2023
- Improving ties between Japan and South Korea, and plans for an alliance of semiconductor manufacturers are among the issues up for discussion
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China in early 2023 and Kritenbrink’s trip will serve to lay the groundwork for the first visit by a US secretary of state for four years.
Washington also clearly believes it is necessary to reassure its two closest partners in the region of its ongoing support and to inform Tokyo and Seoul of the issues that will be on the agenda for Blinken’s visit.
“This is very reminiscent of when the Biden administration first came to power and Blinken and [national security adviser] Jake Sullivan came to Japan to communicate the message that the US was once again back and committed to the region and that it was again putting its alliances first,” said Stephen Nagy, an associate professor of international relations at Tokyo’s International Christian University.
“Before the new administration even engaged with China, they wanted their most valued partners in the region to know they were on the same page.”