President Joe Biden is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Japan on May 18. The White House briefing notes, as reported by TASS and echoed by Japanese government channels, outline a plan for the U.S. president to begin a diplomatic engagement that day in the city of Hiroshima. The visit is framed as part of a broader itinerary that aligns with the upcoming G7 summit activities on the same city grounds.
According to the published schedule, Biden will arrive in Hiroshima on May 18 and will meet Kishida on that same day. The G7 gathering is set to take place from May 19 through May 21 in Hiroshima, positioning the meeting as a keystone moment for allied coordination on pressing global issues. The sequence underscores the emphasis placed on the United States and Japan as central partners within the broader alliance framework that guides security, economic, and diplomatic priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.
A former spokesperson for Japan’s Foreign Ministry has indicated that Biden is unlikely to visit Nagasaki during the series of events surrounding the Hiroshima itinerary. The comment reflects the reality of a crowded schedule, with officials noting that the president’s commitments during the Hiroshima engagement would make additional travel to Nagasaki impractical. While both cities carry historical resonance, the practical constraints of a high-profile international visit are being cited as the primary reason for prioritizing Hiroshima during this trip.
Rumors about a potential stop in Nagasaki circulated in Japanese media last year, but the current planning points to a focus on Hiroshima and the associated G7 discussions. The decision signals a careful balancing of symbolic significance with the realities of state leadership responsibilities, where meetings with the host country’s leadership and core alliance partners take precedence in the short window of the official trip. Analysts note that the Hiroshima visit reinforces ongoing conversations about regional security, economic resilience, and collaboration on global challenges that matter to both countries and their allies.