WASHINGTON, April 11. /TASS/. The United States reaffirms its determination to protect Japan, including with the use of nuclear weapons, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a joint statement.
"President Biden reiterated the unwavering commitment of the United States to the defense of Japan under Article V of the Treaty, using its full range of capabilities, including nuclear capabilities," says the document, released after their meeting in Washington.
The provision says that each of the sides views any military aggression against the ally as a threat to its national security and reserves the right to respond in accordance with provisions of its constitution.
The document underscores that, from Washington’s point of view, Article 5 is applicable to the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyudao Islands), a group of Islands in the East China Sea contested by Beijing and Tokyo. The territory has been under Japan’s administration since 1972.
The document also proclaims "our strong opposition to any attempts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea," including with regard to the Senkaku Islands.