Japan's Suga Holds First Call with US Biden, Emphasizing Importance of US-Japan Alliance

On the 12th, a phone call lasting about 10 minutes... Likely confirmed cooperation policies on COVID-19 and North Korean abduction issues

President-elect Joe Biden [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan
Photo by AP News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held his first phone call with U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the morning of the 12th, NHK and other broadcasters reported.

NHK reported that the call between Prime Minister Suga and President-elect Biden took place for about 10 minutes starting around 8:30 a.m. that day. NHK added that Prime Minister Suga directly conveyed his congratulations to President-elect Biden on his election victory and appeared to emphasize the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Through this phone call, Prime Minister Suga is believed to have expressed his intention to build a personal trust relationship with President-elect Biden and to closely cooperate with the next U.S. administration to promote the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific. NHK also reported that they likely confirmed their plan to cooperate on the COVID-19 issue and to unite in resolving issues such as abductions by North Korea.

NHK reported that Prime Minister Suga decided to visit the United States at an appropriate time in the future to hold a summit meeting with President-elect Biden. Japanese media expect Prime Minister Suga’s visit to the U.S. to be around February, after the U.S. presidential inauguration in January next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.