Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has secured firm support from the U.S.during summit talks in Washington on his country's plan to beef up military power, according to assessments by foreign media.

The New York Times said Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to work together to transform Japan into a potent military power to help counterbalance China and to bolster their bilateral alliance so that it becomes the linchpin for their security interests in Asia.

The report noted that Kishida was visiting Washington one month after his government announced plans to strengthen military capabilities and significantly boost its defense budget in the face of China’s rising power and repeated missile tests by North Korea. 

Biden said the two sides were modernizing their military alliance and building on Japan’s historic increase in military spending and new national security strategy.

The Washington Post also said that Biden offered a strong show of support for Japan during Kishida’s first visit to Washington since becoming prime minister and as he faces domestic problems, with his approval ratings dipping below 40 percent.

The Post said Biden’s full support of the alliance and his praise for Japan’s ambitious plans to increase defense spending has helped boost the prime minister’s global profile.