Biden admitted, "I said some misleading things." President | United States | misleading
According to a report by Kyodo News Agency on June 29th, White House records released on the 28th showed that US President Joe Biden corrected his statement last week that he convinced Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to significantly increase Japan's defense budget.
It is reported that during a campaign reception held in Maryland on Tuesday evening, Biden said of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, "Rather than saying he needs me to persuade him, it's better to say he has already made a decision... Earlier last week, I said some misleading words at a fundraising event. I didn't mean to."
According to reports, Biden referred to his speech at an event held at a private residence in California on June 20th, in which he urged Kishida to increase his defense budget on three occasions. Biden told supporters at the event, "I convinced him, and he also convinced himself that changes must be made. Japan has significantly increased its military budget."
Japan opposed Biden's statement last Friday. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Matsuno said that Tokyo has made it clear to Washington that this statement is untrue.
The report states that the 80 year old president is known for making a slip of the tongue. On the 28th, Biden also told the media that Russian President Putin is "losing the Iraq War".
Earlier report
Publicly "slapping" Biden, Japan makes a "rare" move
According to Kyodo News Agency, Japan denied US President Biden's claim on the 23rd that he convinced Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to increase Japan's defense spending, stating that Japan opposes Biden's remarks. It is rare for Japan to openly express its differences with the United States.
Japan's denial is due to Biden's statement earlier this week during a campaign in California that Japan's "doubling" of defense spending was the result of his persuasion of Kishida in the past three meetings with Fumio Kishida.
According to reports, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshi Matsuno said that Tokyo has told Washington that Biden's remarks are "misleading" and that Japan has decided to increase its defense budget. He also added that it is unclear what President Biden's intention is in the above statement.
Last December, the Kishida government promised to almost double Japan's defense budget by the end of March 2028, bringing its share of GDP to around 2%, comparable to that of NATO member countries.
The report mentions that the White House cited Biden's speech at a reception on the 20th, stating that Japan has not increased defense spending for a "long time", but Fumio Kishida "convinced himself to take different actions" after meeting with President Biden on "three different occasions".
Biden, who is seeking re-election next year, called the G7 summit held in Hiroshima in May one of three opportunities for talks, but the Japanese government had already decided to increase its defense budget before that.