With "Strong" Message On China, Biden Dials New Japan Prime Minister
NDTV
US President Joe Biden's call came a day after Fumio Kishida called a parliamentary election for Oct. 31 and vowed to bolster the Japan's response to the pandemic.
New Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that he received a "strong" message from President Joe Biden about the United States' commitment to defending the disputed East China Sea islets known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.
In phone talks on Tuesday morning that lasted roughly 20 minutes, the allies also confirmed their cooperation toward achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific, Kishida told reporters at the prime minister's official residence.
The call came a day after Kishida called a parliamentary election for Oct. 31 and vowed to bolster the country's response to the pandemic. He was voted in by lawmakers on Monday as the nation's new prime minister.
"We confirmed that we would work together toward the strengthening of the Japan-US alliance and free and open Indo-Pacific," Kishida said. "We also confirmed we would work closely on issues related to China and North Korea."
