Japan-United States of America Relations
Telephone Conference Between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden
On December 18, commencing at noon for approximately 10 minutes, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a congratulatory telephone call from the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Vice President of the United States of America. The overview is as follows.
1. At the beginning, Vice President Biden said he would like to congratulate Prime Minister Abe on the gaining of ratification of the Abe Administration’s efforts, and the ruling parties’ victory of the recent general election of the House of Representatives. In response to this, Prime Minister Abe said he is grateful for Vice President Biden’s expression of congratulations.
2. Prime Minister Abe said that along with promoting the Japan-U.S. relations, including TPP, the review of the Guidelines and the realignment of the U.S. forces, he would also like to cooperate closely on global issues such as responding to Ukraine, efforts to counter ISIL, and the Ebola virus disease. In response to this, Vice President Biden said he highly values the Abe Administration’s efforts to strengthen the Japan-U.S. relations, and Japan is an incredibly valuable ally on all fronts, including the Ebola virus disease problem, efforts to counter ISIL, climate change, and responding to Ukraine. They shared the recognition that the two countries will address various issues in closely coordinated manner.
3. Also, Prime Minister Abe said Japan welcomes the announcement that the Government of the United States made on December 17, that it will begin discussions aimed for normalization of relations with Cuba, as a significant change in policy that will contribute to further stability of the region.