Japan-United States of America Relations

On November 12, commencing at 8:20 a.m. for approximately 15 minutes, Mr. SUGA Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan, held a telephone talk with the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, President-elect of the United States of America. The overview of the talk is as follows.

1. At the outset, Prime Minister Suga congratulated President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, the first woman to be elected to the office, on their victory in the presidential election.
2. Prime Minister Suga then stated that the Japan-U.S. Alliance plays a pivotal role in maintaining peace and prosperity both in our increasingly unstable region and in the international community, and must be further strengthened. He expressed his desire to coordinate towards realizing a "free and open Indo-Pacific."
3. In response, President-elect Biden expressed his commitment that Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands. He stated that he looked forward to further strengthening the Japan-U.S. Alliance and cooperating towards peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
4. Prime Minister Suga and President-elect Biden reaffirmed they would closely coordinate on common challenges in the international community, such as responding to COVID-19 and climate change. Prime Minister Suga also asked for cooperation on the abductions issue.
5. The two leaders shared the view, bearing in mind the COVID-19 situation, to meet at the earliest possible opportunity