Roll out the red carpet for Japan. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is being feted with a speech before a joint session of Congress and a White House state dinner. Key to the courtship is Tokyo's ramped-up role in policing the Pacific. Like the Germans in Europe, the Japanese have had to shed the post-war pacifism that's even embedded in their constitution. It’s with an eye to China, North Korea and Russia that they’ve drawn closer to South Korea and supported Ukraine.
Enter another former World War II foe of the Japanese: the Philippines, whose new president is invited for an unprecedented three-way summit. Their common cause is territorial disputes in the South China Sea and a rivalry with Beijing that continues to intensify. What do Ferdinand Marcos Junior and the nationalist Kishida have in common? How strong an alliance will this be?
Produced by Andrew Hilliar, Rebecca Gnignati and Juliette Brown.
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