President Joe Biden took the edge off a long day on a diplomatic tight rope Monday night by toasting lemon soda with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo after raising hackles in Beijing with his comments about getting involved militarily in Taiwan.
It was the start of an elegant meal with Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida on a trip where Biden sought to put in place a new economic framework - and set off a kerfuffle with another round of tough talk about Taiwan, which is on guard against a potential invasion from mainland China.
The leaders of the world's second and third largest economies dined at the pricey Kochuon restraurant at Kishida's invitation, hours after the two men held a side-by-side press conference.
Their multi-course meal at the restaurant, located in a garden steeped in history, included lobster, dried sea cucumber ovary, Helmet Crab, réparation de téléphone et informatique Needlefish, squid, sea bream, scallop, sea bream, slow cooked salmon and a variety of vegetables.
Their start after a long day of in-person meetings plus an hour-long zoom with Indo-Pacific leaders came with a Hiroshima Lemon Soda, named in honor of Kishida's home town, where he will host next year's G7 summit.
Dinner time! President Joe Biden, center is greeted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, and his wife Yuko as he arrived for dinner at Kochuan, Monday, May 23, 2022, in Tokyo. The meal came after Biden rattled China by saying the U.S. would get involved military to defend Taiwan if China invaded
Is that kosher? The menu featured delicacies including Sea Bream, Needlefish, lobster, and scallops
The meal came after a long day of meetings
The Kochuon restraurant is situated in histori gardens
The restaurant's web site lists specially designed meals for as much as $200, although the meal Biden and the prime minister enjoyed appeared to be a special creation that might be even more valuable.
The fine dining was meant to cement relations between the two powerful leaders, who are hoping the powerful U.S.-Japan security and economic alliance can serve as a counter to the rise of China in the region, as China uses Yuan diplomacy and even island construction to expand its influence.
It also provided a release after a day when Biden jolted aides and diplomats when he stated flatly that 'yes' the U.S. would get involved military to defend Taiwan.
The blunt talk ran afoul of the 'strategic ambiguity' of longstanding U.S. policy that Biden helped shape when he voted for the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act and ran the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
On Monday at his press conference he affirmed he would be willing to get involved militarily if China invaded Taiwan - drawing parallels between that threat and Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a press conference Monday in Tokyo.
'Yes,' Biden said. 'That's a commitment we made,' Biden responded when asked about the hot button diplomatic issue alongside Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The dinner began with a lemon soda toast. Biden does not drink alcohol
Japenese prime ministers typically invite U.S. presidents out to dinner when they visit Tokyo
Biden reiterated that the United States agrees to the so-called 'One China' policy - that only the People's Republic of China is 'China,' thus the U.S.'s diplomatic relationship with Taiwan is unofficial.
'But the idea that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not appropriate,' Biden said. 'It will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine.'
Additionally, Biden said: 'My expectation is it will not happen, it will not be attempted.'
But he condemned military exercises China was conducting. 'They're already flirting with danger right now by flying so close and all the maneuvers that are undertaken,' the president said.
Biden was asked at the very end of a press conference, held at Tokyo's Akasaka Palace: 'You didn't want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons. Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, if it comes to that?' - to which the president answered in the affirmative.
In response, China's foreign ministry told Reuters that the U.S. should not defend Taiwan's independence.
China blasted Biden's comments, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressing 'strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition.'
'China has no room for compromise or concessions on issues involving China´s core interests such as sovereignty and territorial integrity,' he said.
The U.S. is providing billions worth of weapons and aid to Ukraine, but Biden has steadfastly refused to get Americans involved in the fighting.
The U.S. already provides fighter jets and Patriot missiles to Taiwan, but official policy is deliberately ambiguous in keeping with the 'one China' policy Biden referenced.
'Our policy toward Taiwan has not changed at all. We remain committed to supporting the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and ensuring that there is no unilateral change in the status quo,' Biden said minutes before.
President Joe Biden affirmed he'd approve military action against China if it invaded Taiwan, drawing parallels between that threat and Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a press conference Monday in Tokyo
Biden then pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'barbarism' in Ukraine, noting the Russian bombing of Ukrainian schools as well as repeated attacks on sites with cultural significance in Ukraine.
'I believe what Putin is attempting to do is eliminate the identity of Ukraine, the identity. He can't occupy it but he can destroy its identity,' Biden said. 'Russia has to pay a longterm price for that.'
The president asked 'what signal does that send to China about the cost of attempting to take Taiwan by force' if Russia wasn't punished properly.
A White House official asked to clarify the comment responded: 'As the President said, our policy has not changed. He reiterated our One China Policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He also reiterated our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself.'
Biden declined to answer several shouted questions about Taiwan at a later event Monday.
His tough talk came days after a joint statement between the U.S. and South Korea explicitly mentioned Taiwan, despite public warnings by China.
'The two Presidents reiterate the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as an essential element in security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,' according to the statement.
The White House had to clean up Biden comments last year that also stated a 'commitment' to come to Taiwan's aid.
Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in October following the comment: 'There has been no shift. The president was not announcing any change in our policy, nor has he made a decision to change our policy. There is no change in our policy.'
That, too, drew a rebuke from China, with Wang Wenbin urging the U.S. so 'strictly abide' by the one-China principle and 'be cautious in its words and deeds on the Taiwan issue, and refrain from sending any false signals to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces -- or it will seriously damage to Sino-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.'
President Joe Biden (left) participated in a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) in Tokyo on Monday
Before Biden's press conference remark, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Taiwan wouldn't be included in the 13-country Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
It was just another sign of how professional diplomats typically try to handle matter so explosive it is often referred to merely as 'cross-Straits' issues. Taiwan's inclusion would have irked China.
His Ukraine comments indicated that the brutal war on the other side of the war was never far from mind, even on a trip meant to display a focus on Asia and new economic cooperation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kishida said repeatedly issued his own denunciations of Russia's use of force in Ukraine - in language that could be applied to the region as well.
'Russia aggression against Ukraine undermines the foundation of global order. And we can in no way allow whatsoever such attempts to change the status quo going forward, wherever it may be in the world,' he said earlier Monday.
At the press conference he said Japan 'strongly oppose the attempt to change the status quo by force' in the East China Sea and South China Sea, a reference to Chinese territorial claims.
And he called for 'peace and stability Taiwan Straits,' while raising 'serious concern' about North Korea's missile launches and nuclear tests.
Biden also fielded a question about the economy and whether the U.S. was facing a an inevitable recession.
He ticked off some positive measures such as job growth.
But he acknowledged 'problems' in the economy, even if they were 'less consequential than the rest of the world has.'
'This is going to be a haul. This is going to take some time,' he said.
Biden kicked off his first full day in Japan by traveling to two Tokyo palaces before noon - first meeting with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace and then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Akasaka Palace.
Biden's meeting with Kishida marked the first time the two leaders held an in-person bilateral gathering, as the Japanese prime minister took office in October. The two met along the sidelines of the G7 in March in Brussels. Biden met virtually with Kishida in January.
'I want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for your strong leadership and your support of the Ukrainian people, it was welcomed more than could know,' Biden said seated alongside Kishida in an ornate room.
On the war, Kishida remarked: 'Russia's aggression of Ukraine undermines the foundation of global order.'
Biden also told the prime minister that the U.S.- Japanese alliance 'has long been the cornerstone of peace and prosperity and Indo-Pacific.'
'And the United States remains fully committed to Japanese - to Japan's defense and we will face the challenges of today and the future together,' Biden added.
The president didn't take questions from the press at the conclusion of his opening remarks with Kishida, with U.S. ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel caught on camera laughing and smirking as reporters were yelled at to depart.
President Joe Biden (left) met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumo Kishida (right) Monday morning at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo. Biden thanks Kishida for Japan's help in supporting Ukraine
President Joe Biden (left) walks alongside Japenese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) outside the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo Monday morning
President Joe Biden (right) puts his hand over his heart for a playing of the Star-Spangled banner outside the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo as he meets Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) for the first time
A Japanese honor guard carrying both Japenese and American flags welcomes President Joe Biden to Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Monday
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) stands alongside President Joe Biden (right) at a welcoming ceremony Monday in Tokyo at the Akasaka Palace
President Joe Biden (left) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) as they meet in the ornate Akasaka Palace in Tokyo Monday
Alongside President Joe Biden were (from left) U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Amb. Rahm Emanuel and Secretary of State Antony Blinken
A White House readout of the meeting upon its conclusion said that Bidenb and Kishida also discussed North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs 'and China's increasingly coercive behavior that runs counter to international law.'
As Biden arrived at Akasaka Palace, he was greeted with considerable pomp and circumstance.
A Japanese honor guard - dressed in white uniforms with red accents - marched with American and Japanese flags.
A military band played the Star-Spangled Banner and then the Japanese national anthem.
Biden was accompanied by Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago and President Barack Obama's first White House chief of staff, as well as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, among others.
After Biden and Kishida hold their bilateral meeting, they'll hold a joint press conference Monday afternoon.
Monday night they'll have dinner together at the Tokyo restaurant Kuchuon.
Earlier at the Imperial Palace, Biden was met outside by the emperor before the two slipped inside for a private meeting.
Biden didn't touch the emperor, nor did he bow.
'President Biden called on His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito today to offer greetings on behalf of the American people, highlighting the strength of the U.S.-Japan relationship anchored by deep people-to-people ties,' the White House said about Biden's first stop.
President Joe Biden (left) greets Japan's Emperor Naruhito (right) for a meeting at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo - the first stop on Biden's first full day in Japan
President Joe Biden (left) poses for a photograph with Japan's Emperor Naruhito (right) outside the Imperial Palace Monday morning in Tokyo
President Joe Biden (left) walks into the Imperial Palace Monday morning in Tokyo alongside Japane's Emperor Naruhito (right)
A handout photo of President Joe Biden's (left) private meeting Monday morning with Japan's Emperor Naruhito (right)
Biden's first trip to Asia puts him face-to-face with three new leaders: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Biden arrived at Kyoto Air Base outside of Tokyo late Sunday afternoon after spending two days in South Korea.
There, Biden met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for the first time.
Yoon has only been in office for 13 days.
They held at event at a Samsung plant, held a bilateral meeting and press conference, then Yoon invited Biden to National Museum of Korea for a state dinner, complete with Korean fare. They spent part of Sunday together at Osan Air Base thanking American and Korean troops.
On Tuesday, Biden will meet Australia's Albanese as part of the second in-person Quad meeting, which India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend.
Albanese won Saturday's Australian election over incumbent Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The White House confirmed Sunday that Albanese would fly to Tokyo for the Quad meeting as one of his first official duties.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center right) looks at the venue prepared for the welcome ceremony Monday for President Joe Biden
Security police are seen in the Tokyo streets in advance of President Joe Biden's meeting Monday with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
President Joe Biden (right) embraces U.S. ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel (left) on the tarmac of Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan Sunday
The U.S. ambassador to Japan, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (right), stands alongside Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (left) to welcome President Joe Biden to the country Sunday evening
First Lady Jill Biden beat her husband to Asia, when she led a two-person U.S. delegation to the Tokyo Olympics in July, which was scaled-down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
She, too, met with Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace. The first lady also spent time at Akasaka Palace with Japan's previous leader, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife Mariko.
While Biden will be interacting with new leaders, an old problem hung over his time in Asia: missile and nuclear testing threats from North Korea.
As of mid-day Monday, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un hadn't tested an ICBM or a nuke.
Biden will privately meet the families of Japanese people who have been abducted in North Korea alongside Kishida Monday afternoon.
From there he'll debut the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, or IPEF, with a number of countries in the region.
First Lady Jill Biden (left) traveled to Tokyo last summer and met with Japenese Emperor Naruhito (right) at an event welcoming all the heads of delegations for the Tokyo summer Olympics
First Lady Jill Biden waves to reporters as she arrived at the Imperial Palace last July for an event hosted by Japan's Emperor Naruhito
ChinaAnthony AlbaneseJapanTaiwanJoe Biden
It was the start of an elegant meal with Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida on a trip where Biden sought to put in place a new economic framework - and set off a kerfuffle with another round of tough talk about Taiwan, which is on guard against a potential invasion from mainland China.
The leaders of the world's second and third largest economies dined at the pricey Kochuon restraurant at Kishida's invitation, hours after the two men held a side-by-side press conference.
Their multi-course meal at the restaurant, located in a garden steeped in history, included lobster, dried sea cucumber ovary, Helmet Crab, réparation de téléphone et informatique Needlefish, squid, sea bream, scallop, sea bream, slow cooked salmon and a variety of vegetables.
Their start after a long day of in-person meetings plus an hour-long zoom with Indo-Pacific leaders came with a Hiroshima Lemon Soda, named in honor of Kishida's home town, where he will host next year's G7 summit.
Dinner time! President Joe Biden, center is greeted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, and his wife Yuko as he arrived for dinner at Kochuan, Monday, May 23, 2022, in Tokyo. The meal came after Biden rattled China by saying the U.S. would get involved military to defend Taiwan if China invaded
Is that kosher? The menu featured delicacies including Sea Bream, Needlefish, lobster, and scallops
The meal came after a long day of meetings
The Kochuon restraurant is situated in histori gardens
The restaurant's web site lists specially designed meals for as much as $200, although the meal Biden and the prime minister enjoyed appeared to be a special creation that might be even more valuable.
The fine dining was meant to cement relations between the two powerful leaders, who are hoping the powerful U.S.-Japan security and economic alliance can serve as a counter to the rise of China in the region, as China uses Yuan diplomacy and even island construction to expand its influence.
It also provided a release after a day when Biden jolted aides and diplomats when he stated flatly that 'yes' the U.S. would get involved military to defend Taiwan.
The blunt talk ran afoul of the 'strategic ambiguity' of longstanding U.S. policy that Biden helped shape when he voted for the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act and ran the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
On Monday at his press conference he affirmed he would be willing to get involved militarily if China invaded Taiwan - drawing parallels between that threat and Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a press conference Monday in Tokyo.
'Yes,' Biden said. 'That's a commitment we made,' Biden responded when asked about the hot button diplomatic issue alongside Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The dinner began with a lemon soda toast. Biden does not drink alcohol
Japenese prime ministers typically invite U.S. presidents out to dinner when they visit Tokyo
Biden reiterated that the United States agrees to the so-called 'One China' policy - that only the People's Republic of China is 'China,' thus the U.S.'s diplomatic relationship with Taiwan is unofficial.
'But the idea that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not appropriate,' Biden said. 'It will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine.'
Additionally, Biden said: 'My expectation is it will not happen, it will not be attempted.'
But he condemned military exercises China was conducting. 'They're already flirting with danger right now by flying so close and all the maneuvers that are undertaken,' the president said.
Biden was asked at the very end of a press conference, held at Tokyo's Akasaka Palace: 'You didn't want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons. Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, if it comes to that?' - to which the president answered in the affirmative.
In response, China's foreign ministry told Reuters that the U.S. should not defend Taiwan's independence.
China blasted Biden's comments, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressing 'strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition.'
'China has no room for compromise or concessions on issues involving China´s core interests such as sovereignty and territorial integrity,' he said.
The U.S. is providing billions worth of weapons and aid to Ukraine, but Biden has steadfastly refused to get Americans involved in the fighting.
The U.S. already provides fighter jets and Patriot missiles to Taiwan, but official policy is deliberately ambiguous in keeping with the 'one China' policy Biden referenced.
'Our policy toward Taiwan has not changed at all. We remain committed to supporting the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and ensuring that there is no unilateral change in the status quo,' Biden said minutes before.
President Joe Biden affirmed he'd approve military action against China if it invaded Taiwan, drawing parallels between that threat and Russia's invasion of Ukraine during a press conference Monday in Tokyo
Biden then pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'barbarism' in Ukraine, noting the Russian bombing of Ukrainian schools as well as repeated attacks on sites with cultural significance in Ukraine.
'I believe what Putin is attempting to do is eliminate the identity of Ukraine, the identity. He can't occupy it but he can destroy its identity,' Biden said. 'Russia has to pay a longterm price for that.'
The president asked 'what signal does that send to China about the cost of attempting to take Taiwan by force' if Russia wasn't punished properly.
A White House official asked to clarify the comment responded: 'As the President said, our policy has not changed. He reiterated our One China Policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He also reiterated our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself.'
Biden declined to answer several shouted questions about Taiwan at a later event Monday.
His tough talk came days after a joint statement between the U.S. and South Korea explicitly mentioned Taiwan, despite public warnings by China.
'The two Presidents reiterate the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as an essential element in security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,' according to the statement.
The White House had to clean up Biden comments last year that also stated a 'commitment' to come to Taiwan's aid.
Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in October following the comment: 'There has been no shift. The president was not announcing any change in our policy, nor has he made a decision to change our policy. There is no change in our policy.'
That, too, drew a rebuke from China, with Wang Wenbin urging the U.S. so 'strictly abide' by the one-China principle and 'be cautious in its words and deeds on the Taiwan issue, and refrain from sending any false signals to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces -- or it will seriously damage to Sino-U.S. relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.'
President Joe Biden (left) participated in a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) in Tokyo on Monday
Before Biden's press conference remark, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Taiwan wouldn't be included in the 13-country Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
It was just another sign of how professional diplomats typically try to handle matter so explosive it is often referred to merely as 'cross-Straits' issues. Taiwan's inclusion would have irked China.
His Ukraine comments indicated that the brutal war on the other side of the war was never far from mind, even on a trip meant to display a focus on Asia and new economic cooperation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kishida said repeatedly issued his own denunciations of Russia's use of force in Ukraine - in language that could be applied to the region as well.
'Russia aggression against Ukraine undermines the foundation of global order. And we can in no way allow whatsoever such attempts to change the status quo going forward, wherever it may be in the world,' he said earlier Monday.
At the press conference he said Japan 'strongly oppose the attempt to change the status quo by force' in the East China Sea and South China Sea, a reference to Chinese territorial claims.
And he called for 'peace and stability Taiwan Straits,' while raising 'serious concern' about North Korea's missile launches and nuclear tests.
Biden also fielded a question about the economy and whether the U.S. was facing a an inevitable recession.
He ticked off some positive measures such as job growth.
But he acknowledged 'problems' in the economy, even if they were 'less consequential than the rest of the world has.'
'This is going to be a haul. This is going to take some time,' he said.
Biden kicked off his first full day in Japan by traveling to two Tokyo palaces before noon - first meeting with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace and then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Akasaka Palace.
Biden's meeting with Kishida marked the first time the two leaders held an in-person bilateral gathering, as the Japanese prime minister took office in October. The two met along the sidelines of the G7 in March in Brussels. Biden met virtually with Kishida in January.
'I want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for your strong leadership and your support of the Ukrainian people, it was welcomed more than could know,' Biden said seated alongside Kishida in an ornate room.
On the war, Kishida remarked: 'Russia's aggression of Ukraine undermines the foundation of global order.'
Biden also told the prime minister that the U.S.- Japanese alliance 'has long been the cornerstone of peace and prosperity and Indo-Pacific.'
'And the United States remains fully committed to Japanese - to Japan's defense and we will face the challenges of today and the future together,' Biden added.
The president didn't take questions from the press at the conclusion of his opening remarks with Kishida, with U.S. ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel caught on camera laughing and smirking as reporters were yelled at to depart.
President Joe Biden (left) met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumo Kishida (right) Monday morning at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo. Biden thanks Kishida for Japan's help in supporting Ukraine
President Joe Biden (left) walks alongside Japenese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) outside the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo Monday morning
President Joe Biden (right) puts his hand over his heart for a playing of the Star-Spangled banner outside the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo as he meets Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) for the first time
A Japanese honor guard carrying both Japenese and American flags welcomes President Joe Biden to Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Monday
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) stands alongside President Joe Biden (right) at a welcoming ceremony Monday in Tokyo at the Akasaka Palace
President Joe Biden (left) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) as they meet in the ornate Akasaka Palace in Tokyo Monday
Alongside President Joe Biden were (from left) U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Amb. Rahm Emanuel and Secretary of State Antony Blinken
A White House readout of the meeting upon its conclusion said that Bidenb and Kishida also discussed North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs 'and China's increasingly coercive behavior that runs counter to international law.'
As Biden arrived at Akasaka Palace, he was greeted with considerable pomp and circumstance.
A Japanese honor guard - dressed in white uniforms with red accents - marched with American and Japanese flags.
A military band played the Star-Spangled Banner and then the Japanese national anthem.
Biden was accompanied by Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago and President Barack Obama's first White House chief of staff, as well as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, among others.
After Biden and Kishida hold their bilateral meeting, they'll hold a joint press conference Monday afternoon.
Monday night they'll have dinner together at the Tokyo restaurant Kuchuon.
Earlier at the Imperial Palace, Biden was met outside by the emperor before the two slipped inside for a private meeting.
Biden didn't touch the emperor, nor did he bow.
'President Biden called on His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito today to offer greetings on behalf of the American people, highlighting the strength of the U.S.-Japan relationship anchored by deep people-to-people ties,' the White House said about Biden's first stop.
President Joe Biden (left) greets Japan's Emperor Naruhito (right) for a meeting at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo - the first stop on Biden's first full day in Japan
President Joe Biden (left) poses for a photograph with Japan's Emperor Naruhito (right) outside the Imperial Palace Monday morning in Tokyo
President Joe Biden (left) walks into the Imperial Palace Monday morning in Tokyo alongside Japane's Emperor Naruhito (right)
A handout photo of President Joe Biden's (left) private meeting Monday morning with Japan's Emperor Naruhito (right)
Biden's first trip to Asia puts him face-to-face with three new leaders: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Biden arrived at Kyoto Air Base outside of Tokyo late Sunday afternoon after spending two days in South Korea.
There, Biden met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for the first time.
Yoon has only been in office for 13 days.
They held at event at a Samsung plant, held a bilateral meeting and press conference, then Yoon invited Biden to National Museum of Korea for a state dinner, complete with Korean fare. They spent part of Sunday together at Osan Air Base thanking American and Korean troops.
On Tuesday, Biden will meet Australia's Albanese as part of the second in-person Quad meeting, which India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend.
Albanese won Saturday's Australian election over incumbent Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The White House confirmed Sunday that Albanese would fly to Tokyo for the Quad meeting as one of his first official duties.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center right) looks at the venue prepared for the welcome ceremony Monday for President Joe Biden
Security police are seen in the Tokyo streets in advance of President Joe Biden's meeting Monday with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
President Joe Biden (right) embraces U.S. ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel (left) on the tarmac of Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan Sunday
The U.S. ambassador to Japan, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (right), stands alongside Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (left) to welcome President Joe Biden to the country Sunday evening
First Lady Jill Biden beat her husband to Asia, when she led a two-person U.S. delegation to the Tokyo Olympics in July, which was scaled-down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
She, too, met with Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace. The first lady also spent time at Akasaka Palace with Japan's previous leader, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife Mariko.
While Biden will be interacting with new leaders, an old problem hung over his time in Asia: missile and nuclear testing threats from North Korea.
As of mid-day Monday, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un hadn't tested an ICBM or a nuke.
Biden will privately meet the families of Japanese people who have been abducted in North Korea alongside Kishida Monday afternoon.
From there he'll debut the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, or IPEF, with a number of countries in the region.
First Lady Jill Biden (left) traveled to Tokyo last summer and met with Japenese Emperor Naruhito (right) at an event welcoming all the heads of delegations for the Tokyo summer Olympics
First Lady Jill Biden waves to reporters as she arrived at the Imperial Palace last July for an event hosted by Japan's Emperor Naruhito
ChinaAnthony AlbaneseJapanTaiwanJoe Biden
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