Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have agreed to advance bilateral cooperation in the security area.
Motegi and Rubio met in the French capital Paris on Monday on the sidelines of the Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting. It was the first meeting of its kind since the US Republican Party suffered a major setback in the midterm elections.
The two top diplomats agreed to deepen cooperation in strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the alliance between their countries amid an intensifying security environment.
The two also discussed the situation in the Indo-Pacific and other regions.
With an eye on the upcoming ASEAN summit in the Philippines and the APEC summit in China next week, Motegi and Rubio agreed to continue to closely cooperate with each other.
They also agreed to close cooperation in addressing various global issues, including those involving the International Criminal Court, on which the administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions.
There are views within the Japanese government that Trump may seek accomplishments in foreign affairs before his term ends, because that is the field less likely to be subject to restrictions by Congress.
The Japanese government is seeking an opportunity for Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae to meet Trump as soon as possible, so that the two leaders can reaffirm the importance of the Japan-US alliance.
AloJapan.com