Biden under pressure to calm tensions

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden (2nd R) is greeted by US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy (3rd R) and other officials upon his arrival at Haneda airport in Tokyo December 2, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

US vice-president faces difficult task of pacifying Tokyo while openly communicating with Beijing

US Vice-President Joe Biden arrived in Tokyo late on Monday for the first leg of a tour of East Asia that will later take him to China and South Korea.

Biden's visit comes amid mounting tensions between China and Japan over territorial claims and China's announcement last month of its East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone.

Biden is walking a diplomatic tightrope, according to observers, with various parties calling on him to support their stances, while others look to the US to calm tensions.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday that he would discuss China's air defense identification zone with Biden on Tuesday to coordinate their stances.

"We want to hold consultation and deal with the matter by coordinating closely between Japan and the United States," Abe said.

One day before Biden's arrival, the US Navy's first advanced P-8 patrol aircraft arrived in Japan, starting a deployment that will upgrade Washington's ability to hunt submarines and other vessels in seas close to China, Reuters reported.

White House officials have emphasized that the visit is part of a continuum of US engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.

"The trip will underscore the Obama administration's strong commitment to the rebalance and to our enduring role as a Pacific power," a senior administration official said last week.

"It is an opportunity to give lift to our treaty alliances and to advance our very important relationship with China," the official said of Biden's trip.