Biden welcomes Japan's Kishida at the White House

US President Joe Biden welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House on Tuesday, kicking off a state visit featuring a major upgrade in defense ties.

A gala dinner and Rose Garden press conference are on the menu for the formal part of the visit on Wednesday, in a sign of the value Washington places on an increasingly self-confident Japan. The two leaders are expected to unveil plans to restructure the US military command in Japan -- the biggest upgrade to defense cooperation since the 1960s -- to make them more responsive against threats in the Asia-Pacific region.