WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden

hosts the leaders of Japan and the Philippines this week to

boost economic and defense ties as the allies seek to offset

China's growing might and manage risks ranging from North Korea

to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Biden's bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio

Kishida on Wednesday will bring an upgrade in defense ties with

Japan, Washington's cornerstone ally in the Indo-Pacific region

and an increasingly important global partner.

Kishida, beleaguered at home, will be greeted in America

with great fanfare, with Japanese flags already festooning

Washington lampposts and a glittering White House dinner with

some 200 guests.

On Thursday, he will become only the second Japanese leader

to address a joint meeting of Congress after his assassinated

predecessor Shinzo Abe gave a speech in 2015.

Political analysts say visit is a chance for Kishida to

boost dire domestic popularity ratings ahead of a September

leadership contest in his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The U.S. will hail Japan as a vital regional and global ally

and Kishida will be able to bask in praise for defense reforms

that have taken Japan further from its post-war pacifism.

Overshadowing the visit is a controversy over the planned

$15 billion acquisition of American steel maker U.S. Steel

by Japan's Nippon Steel ( NISTF ), a deal some say is "on life

support" after criticism by Biden and Donald Trump, his rival in

November's U.S. election.

Also looming over the meetings are Japanese concerns that in

any second Trump term he might seek a deal with China that could

destabilize the region, revive protectionist trade measures or

demand more money for the upkeep of U.S. forces in Japan,

worries some analysts and those close to the former president

say are overblown.

SUPPORTING THE PHILIPPINES

On Thursday, Biden holds a bilateral meeting with

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, whom he welcomed in

Washington just last year, before the two join Kishida for a

trilateral summit expected to focus on countering Chinese

pressure on the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea.

"Close cooperation between Japan, the U.S., and the

Philippines is crucial for a free and open order based on the

rule of law and for economic prosperity in the region," Kishida

said on Friday.

Japan last year delivered air defense radars to the

Philippines and is negotiating a reciprocal-access agreement

that would make it easier for Japanese troops to train there.

At the weekend, the Philippines said U.S., Japanese,

Australian and Philippines warships would conduct a one-day

South China Sea exercise on Sunday in support a free and open

Indo-Pacific region.

U.S. officials emphasize that summit interactions with the

Philippines will cover more than defense, with "consequential"

outcomes in areas such as energy and economic security, and

major infrastructure projects.

"It's a really important moment for us to hear from the

Philippines about what kinds of support may be most useful," a

senior U.S. administration official told Reuters.

U.S.-JAPAN MILITARY COORDINATION

With concerns that Russia's Ukraine invasion might embolden

Beijing to move against Taiwan, a strategic self-ruled island

that produces the world's most advanced semiconductors, the

leaders are expected to discuss plans to upgrade the U.S.

military command structure in Japan to make it better able to

work with Japanese forces in a crisis.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory despite

strident objections from the government in Taipei and has never

renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing's control.

The three leaders are also expected to announce steps to

allow more joint development, and potentially co-production, of

military and defense equipment, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt

Campbell, a key architect of U.S. Indo-Pacific policy, said last

week.

"The current security environment is tough and complex, and

we are at a turning point in history," Kishida said on Friday.

Under Kishida, Japan has pledged to double defense spending

to 2% of gross domestic product, which could make it the world's

third biggest military spender. Its plans include acquiring

hundreds of cruise missiles that can strike targets 1,000 km

(620 miles) away.

Japan has also become important to the U.S. as a potential

production base for munitions, including Patriot PAC3

anti-missile systems that will be re-exported to Ukraine, and

for its shipyards, which are becoming key for repair of U.S.

warships.

The Biden-Kishida summit is expected to address Japan's

future involvement in the three-way AUKUS defense pact between

Australia, Britain and the United States, but officials and

experts say obstacles remain given a need for Japan to introduce

better cyber defenses and stricter rules for guarding secrets.

Amid the Nippon Steel ( NISTF ) controversy, U.S. officials want to

highlight other Japanese investment in the United States. Deals

in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, aviation and

construction will contribute "to good-paying, strong American

jobs," the senior administration official said.

Space is another focus, with Japan hoping to land its first

astronaut on the moon with the U.S. Artemis project that

envisages returning humans there by 2026, as competition heats

up with both Russia and China.

"This is the dream," Kishida told the U.S. PBS NewsHour

program, "that a Japanese astronaut might be stepping his feet

on the face of the moon."