Tokyo, Oct. 6, (dpa/GNA) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday reaffirmed the two countries’ cooperation, with an eye on the Covid-19 pandemic and China’s increasing assertiveness.
Motegi and Pompeo exchanged views concerning the situations in North Korea and the South and East China seas, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said.
The two agreed that the US and Japan would coordinate closely to deal with the North Korean missile and nuclear weapons development, according to the ministry.
During the talks, Pompeo, who arrived in Tokyo early Tuesday, said that a free and open Indo-Pacific is the foundation of regional peace and stability.
“The foundation’s cornerstone is the US-Japan relationship and the security and prosperity it has provided for our peoples for decades,” Pompeo told Motegi.
Pompeo is also set to conduct talks with Motegi, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The top diplomats of the four countries, a group they call the Quad, are expected to affirm close cooperation at a time when China has stepped up its territorial claims in the South and East China seas.
“Great to meet again with Australian Foreign Minister @MarisePayne today in Tokyo to discuss Quad cooperation. The US-Australia-India-Japan relationship is integral to ensuring an open and transparent #IndoPacific,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter.
In his first visit to Japan since Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office in mid September, Pompeo is also expected to meet with the new Japanese leader.
Pompeo was originally scheduled to visit Mongolia and South Korea this week, but the trips were cancelled after President Donald Trump was hospitalized following a positive coronavirus test.
