Japanese Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide said Thursday he hopes to develop close ties with newly-inaugurated US President Joe Biden and work on further strengthening the Japan-US alliance. 

Speaking to reporters at the prime minister’s office, Suga also said work is under way to arrange a teleconference between him and Biden.

Suga lauded Biden’s inaugural speech delivered on Wednesday, saying it was a very powerful address that called for national unity. The prime minister voiced his desire to cooperate with Biden’s administration in fighting the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and tackling climate change.

Congratulations to President @JoeBiden and Vice President @KamalaHarris on your inauguration. Japan and the United States are allies tied firmly by bonds and shared universal values.

— 菅 義偉 (@sugawitter) January 20, 2021

“Congratulations to President Joe Biden and and Vice President Kamala Harris on your inauguration. Japan and the United States are allies tied firmly by bonds and shared universal values,”  Suga said on Twitter, after congratulating the new president and and Vice President.

“I look forward to working with you and your team to reinforce our alliance and to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Suga said in a tweet.

The Japanese government plans to send Foreign Minister MOTEGI Toshimitsu  and other senior officials to the United States to swiftly build ties with the Biden administration. Suga hopes to find the right timing to visit the United States himself while carefully watching the extent of the viral spread in Japan.

JIJI Press