• The prime minister also asked for US cooperation to bring back home Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio and a bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Saturday agreed that their countries will work together to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region in light of China’s growing presence.

In their meeting in Tokyo, the US lawmakers told Kishida that there is a bipartisan understanding in the United States of the importance of the Japan-US alliance and that they want to deepen understanding of Japan’s roles in the region through their latest visit.

Kishida told the US lawmakers, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, and Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat, that it is important for Japan and the United States to work more closely together.

The prime minister also asked for US cooperation to bring back home Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.

They also discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The meeting was also attended by US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.

JIJI Press