Japanese PM To Meet Biden In Washington, China High on Agenda

Suga will be hoping to renew the all-important alliance with Washington after the Trump era, as well as compare notes on an increasingly assertive Beijing.

The trip comes after two top US officials visited Japan in March, and following a summit of leaders from the Quad alliance -- a grouping of the United States, Japan, Australia and India.

The theme of all the diplomatic activity has been clear: signaling a united front to Beijing at a time of growing concern about its military stance and human rights issues.

In Tokyo, Suga's trip is seen as "a sign that the United States puts top priority on East Asia in its diplomacy," said Kunihiko Miyake, president of Japan's Foreign Policy Institute think-tank.

"It means Washington now shares Japan's concerns about a dramatic change in the strategic environment in East Asia over the past decade," said Miyake, a former foreign ministry official.

Japan has been increasingly vocal about China's maritime expansion and military build-up, publicly protesting the presence of Chinese vessels around disputed islets known as the Senkaku by Tokyo and the Diaoyu by Beijing.