Hiroshima (Japan) (EFE) China.
The Air Force One presidential plane landed on the runway of the US military base in Iwakuni (southwest Japan) at 3:58 p.m. local time (0658 GMT).
Biden was the first to get off the plane with a black umbrella that he had closed despite the rain. He was followed by several members of the American entourage, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The American leader was received, among others, by the Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kenji Yamada, the mayor of the city of Iwakuni, Yoshihiko Fukuda, and the United States ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, with whom he was seen speaking for a few minutes. .
After a few brief greetings, Biden entered the Iwakuni base, to shake hands, talk and take photos with some of the US military who were there, all dressed in uniform.
Some 14,000 people currently work at the Iwakuni base, including US military and Japanese personnel, according to Pentagon data.
Biden will then travel to the neighboring city of Hiroshima, where he is scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at 6:00 p.m. local time (9:00 GMT).
Hiroshima will host between tomorrow, May 19, and next Sunday, the annual summit of leaders of the seven main economies of the world (Canada, France, Japan, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States).
After the G7, Biden was scheduled to participate in the Pacific Islands Forum in Papua New Guinea and the Quad (US, Australia, India and Japan) summit in Australia; but he had to suspend those visits to return to Washington beforehand and negotiate with the Republican opposition to suspend the debt ceiling.
Biden and the Republicans have until June 1 to reach an agreement and prevent the United States from defaulting on its sovereign debt for the first time in history.
