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U.S. President Joe Biden indicated Monday that he supports Japan becoming a permanent member of a “reformed” United Nations Security Council, The Hill reported.

Biden met one-on-one with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, where the two discussed the Japan-U.S. alliance and ways to ensure security and cooperation on the international stage.

Kishida in opening remarks at a press conference detailed the “necessity to reform and strengthen the United Nations, including the Security Council, which bears an important responsibility for the peace and stability of the international community,” and said that Biden was supportive.

“The president stated that the United States will support Japan becoming a permanent member of a reformed security council,” Kishida said.

Adding Japan to the Security Council would add another nation from the Indo-Pacific region that could provide a counterweight to China. International officials have raised concerns about China’s human rights violations, as well as Beijing’s aggression toward Taiwan.