A day after taking office, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked off his summit diplomacy by holding separate long-distance talks Tuesday morning with U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
During the phone conversation with Biden, the U.S. president reiterated that Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, which stipulates the United States' obligations regarding the defense of Japan, applies to the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
Kishida spoke with Biden for about 20 minutes, starting at 8:15 a.m., saying, "There is no change under my Cabinet as to the Japan-U.S. alliance being the cornerstone of Japan's diplomacy and security."
In response, Biden stated that the security treaty applied to the Senkaku Islands.
The two leaders confirmed their commitment to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
According to the White House, Biden told Kishida that he looks forward to "strengthening the relationship in the years ahead given the critical role our countries play in advancing our common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region."
The two leaders agreed to work together to respond to China's attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the East and South China seas and to North Korea's repeated missile launches. Kishida also asked for cooperation in resolving the issue of the abduction of Japanese nationals, and Biden expressed his support.
Kishida and Biden agreed to cooperate on global issues, including measures against the novel coronavirus and efforts to abolish nuclear weapons. They decided to call each other "Fumio" and "Joe," and agreed to make arrangements for an early face-to-face meeting.
After his talk with Biden, Kishida told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office that the call "was an important step forward in lifting the Japan-U.S. alliance even higher."
During the video conversation between Kishida and Morrison, the two leaders agreed to promote cooperation under the Quad framework among Japan, the United States, Australia and India.
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