US, Japan to hold Security Consultative Committee meet on Jan 11: Ned Price

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will co-host the 2023 US-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting with Japanese counterparts on January 11, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a press briefing on Thursday.

"Secretary Blinken and Secretary Defence Austin will co-host the 2023 U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi and Defence Minister Hamadaon on January 11 here at State Department. The U.S.-Japan alliance remains the cornerstone of a free and open Indo-Pacific region," Ned Price said.

Addressing a press briefing, Ned Price said that US and Japan will discuss their shared vision to tackle challenges in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. He further said that the defence and foreign ministers of US and Japan will discuss the challenges posed by North Korea.

"We face a threat and a series of challenges from the DPRK that will of course be on the agenda as well, especially as the DPRK has accelerated its provocations, may have plans for additional provocations in the days and weeks ahead," Ned Price said.

The meeting between foreign ministers and defence ministers will be held two days before the meeting of US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement released on the White House website stated that Biden looks forward to welcoming Kishida to further strengthen ties between the two nations.

"President Biden looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan to the White House on Friday, January 13th to further deepen ties between our governments, economies, and our people," Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Karine Jean-Pierre noted, "Over the past year, the two leaders have worked closely together to modernize the U.S.-Japan Alliance, expand our cooperation on key issues from climate change to critical technologies including through the Quad, and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific. President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida will build on these efforts."

Furthermore, Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden and Kishida will discuss regional and global issues, North Korea's "unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, Russia's brutal war against Ukraine, and maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

She said that Biden will reiterate his full support for Japan's recently released National Security Strategy, its presidency of the G7, and its term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.