JAKARTA POST



 

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Monday he hopes to work with US President-elect Joe Biden to further strengthen their countries' security alliance.

Congratulating Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory at the polls last week, Suga told reporters that Japan and the United States share fundamental values such as freedom and democracy and that he looks forward to cooperating to "secure the peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region."

The prime minister added he will consider the best timing for phone talks with Biden and a visit to the United States.

Around 55,000 American troops are stationed in Japan under a postwar security treaty, allowing them to respond to contingencies in the region in exchange for help in defending against potential threats including missile attacks from North Korea.

So-called host nation support for the troops, as well as the relocation of a US base in a densely populated area of southern Japan's Okinawa Prefecture, are among the bilateral issues Suga and Biden will have to address together.

The two leaders are also expected to cooperate in the international arena, with both placing priority on tackling climate change. Biden has pledged to bring the United States back into the 2015 Paris Agreement on curbing greenhouse gas emissions and both have vowed to make their countries carbon neutral by 2050.