As the global spotlight shifts from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden’s closely watched and much-choreographed summit, and each leader returns to their respective domestic challenges, there is little doubt that they successfully projected an image of unity on the economic front.

Many of the official comments made by the pair focused on underlying compatibility between the two nations, as they sought to reassure skeptics that their countries’ relationship extends beyond political leaders amid concerns that a return of former U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House could test these strong bonds.

During Kishida’s address to Congress last week, in which he called the United States Japan’s closest friend and spoke of Tokyo and Washington standing “shoulder to shoulder,” the message of a powerful bond was clear.