Prime Minister Suga met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin visiting Japan on the night of the 16th, and through a summit meeting with President Biden scheduled for the first half of next month, Japan and the United States He expressed his intention to strengthen the alliance.
In this, Prime Minister Suga said, "I sincerely welcome you to visit Japan as your first overseas destination. President Biden proclaimed that the United States is back, and then the allies and partner countries We sincerely welcome the promotion of relationship-oriented policies. "
On top of that, it was reported that in "Japan-US" 2 Plus 2 ", there was a thorough discussion to further strengthen the deterrence and coping power of the Japan-US alliance. Soon, I will visit the United States with President Biden. We will meet, but I would like to make it a meaningful meeting to confirm the ties of the Japan-US alliance. " I showed my thoughts.
In response, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "I came to Japan as my first foreign visit because the Japan-US alliance has been the cornerstone of peace and security in both countries and regions, the world, and prosperity for more than 60 years. I hope we can discuss not only countermeasures but also climate change and the'free and open Indo-Pacific'. "
"We are confident that the US and Japanese teams can work together to achieve a'free and open Indo-Pacific'by thinking about how to strengthen the alliance," said Secretary of Defense Austin. I did.