The US hosted the Prime Minister of Japan
President Biden welcomed Fumio Kishida, the leader of Japan, for a state visit to Washington yesterday. A few hours after we send this newsletter, the two will sit down to a state dinner in Kishida’s honor, a distinction the US reserves only for its closest allies.
The ceremony was meant to show Japan’s importance to the US. All are part of a broader regional approach aimed at countering China, which has recently included war games with South Korea. Later today, both will meet with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for talks that represent a more aggressive effort by the US and its allies to isolate China.
Biden and Kishida announced a series of moves to boost military, economic and other types of cooperation. Biden said the US and Japan would create an expanded defense architecture with Australia, engage in military exercises with Britain and explore ways for Japan to join a US-led coalition with Australia and the New Zealand. He also said the US would include a Japanese astronaut on a trip to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
Officials also said Biden is trying to consolidate the US-Japan relationship as much as possible before the November election. Many in both Washington and Tokyo worry that Donald Trump, whose unpredictability has kept many world leaders on edge, could return to power.
Steel Agreement: Looming over the state visit is Biden’s opposition to $14 billion bid from Nippon Steel, a Japanese company, will acquire Pennsylvania-based US Steel. Union workers in the state are against the deal, and their votes will be critical to Biden’s re-election.
The State Dinner: On the menu for the formal meal will be a stylized California roll and steak with sesame sabayon, themed “Bounty of Spring.” Paul Simon will perform.
Big losses are predicted for the South Korean leader’s party
Polls have closed in South Korea’s general election and official results are expected this morning. However, exit polls show President Yoon Suk Yeol and his party headed for a crushing defeat.
Exit polls by three major television stations predicted that Yoon’s People’s Power Party and an affiliate would win no more than 105 of the 300 seats in the National Assembly. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung’s Democratic Party and a partner were expected to get 197. A separate poll predicted a similar result.
Lee’s party portrayed the election to South Korean voters as an opportunity to punish Yoon for issues ranging from rising consumer prices to allegations of corruption and abuse of power. The strategy seems to have paid off. Such a dramatic loss would cripple Yoon for the rest of his five-year term.
Xi met with Taiwan’s former leader
Xi Jinping met yesterday in Beijing with Ma Ying-jeou, former president of Taiwan. It was the first time a Chinese leader had met a former Taiwanese president on Chinese soil. The move sent a message that China was willing to work with Taiwan, but only on its terms.
In remarks, Xi praised Ma as a patriot who had promoted “peaceful development” across the Taiwan Strait and expressed Beijing’s position that Taiwan should recognize that it is part of China. Ma reaffirmed the position that both sides must accept that they are part of one China, even if they differ on what that means.
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A free football ticket trial
Paris FC, a French second-tier soccer club, stopped charging most tickets late last year. The move, which will cost the club about $1 million, is an effort to attract bigger crowds and cultivate long-term loyalty.
The tactic seems to have paid off: Crowds have increased by more than a third. Games scheduled at times aimed at school children have the best attendances, which shows that the club is succeeding in attracting a younger population.
But the experiment may have wider implications for the world of sports, which is now largely a televised business. If sports are content, then some of that content is provided by cheering fans in stadiums.
So how, my colleague Rory Smith wonders, should fans be categorized? Are observers required to pay for the privilege? Or should they be considered part of the production and perhaps paid to attend?
