Japan to join U.S.-led economic framework during Biden visit

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to announce during President Joe Biden's visit to Japan that Tokyo will join a U.S.-led Indo-Pacific economic initiative in a bid to counter a more assertive China, Japanese government officials said Wednesday.Japan's potential participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, however, will not change Tokyo's stance of seeking Washington's return to a Pacific free trade pact that China, along with Taiwan, is now planning to accede to, Japan's top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said.Related coverage:READ FULL ARTICLE