U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Sunday (September 20, 2020), with both expressing their desire to strengthen the alliance.
The White House said in a brief statement that during the call, Trump congratulated Kan on his overwhelming victory last week in the LDP presidential election and the Diet’s election of the prime minister, and the two discussed the importance of continuing to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance, pursuing a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and working together to strengthen the global economy.
The Japanese prime minister’s official residence also said in a statement that Kan, speaking with Trump on the same day, said the U.S.-Japan alliance is a cornerstone of regional peace and stability, and that the two sides promised to work closely on the North Korea issue and on dealing with the new coronavirus epidemic. The statement also said that Trump wants Kan to call him whenever things go wrong.
Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shocked the Japanese political establishment last month when he suddenly announced his resignation, citing health reasons. He officially stepped down from his post last Wednesday (September 16, 2020).
In taking over as prime minister, Kan, 71, who served as chief cabinet secretary in the Abe administration for many years, said he would continue his predecessor’s policies, including his signature “Abenomics” economic plan and his foreign policy, including maintaining a strong relationship with the United States.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on the day of Kan’s election, saying that the development of a long-term, stable, friendly and cooperative relationship between China and Japan was in the interests of the two peoples and would also contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.
Before leaving office, Taro Kono, the defense minister in Abe’s administration, described to a Washington think tank the treacherous security environment that Japan faces. He said that Japan is prepared to defend “every centimeter” of the Senkaku Islands and believes that the United States is willing to fight to defend the islands. Taro Kawano was retained by Prime Minister Kan as Minister of Administrative Reform, and the new Defense Minister is Nobuo Kishi, brother of Shinzo Abe.
Recent Comments