Japanese Prime Minister Suga discusses 'free and open' Indo-Pacific vision with Trump

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Donald Trump over a phone call on Sunday, September 20 discussed their shared vision of the Indo-Pacific. As per reports, this was the first telephonic interaction between Trump and Suga after the later took the oath of office earlier last week. 

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US-Japan Alliance 'Cornerstone of Peace': Suga

As per reports, the two leaders spoke for about 25 minutes over the phone and after the conversation, Suga informed the Japanese media that he had told Trump that US-Japan alliance was the ‘cornerstone of peace in the region’. He also added that the US President wished for stronger bi-lateral relations and that he urged Suga to call him anytime. The two leaders also reportedly discussed the situation in North Korea, the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine projects.

Since the start of the pandemic, United States has reported nearly 7 million positive coronavirus cases and over 199,000 deaths. The US is currently the epicentre of the virus and has the highest number of cases in the world. As per John Hopkins coronavirus resource centre Japan has reported over 75,000 positive coronavirus cases and more than 1,500 deaths.

Read: Trump Expects To Have Enough COVID-19 Vaccine For Every US Citizen By April 2021

99th Prime Minister of Japan

Yoshihide Suga was appointed the Japanese Prime Minister on September 16 following Shinzo Abe's decision to quit the office on health grounds. Suga after his appointment stated that he wished to create a cabinet that would work for the people and that he was "determined to tear down bureaucratic sectionalism".

Suga’s cabinet comprises of 20 members and 15 out of those held portfolios during Abe’s administration. A tweet from the Japanese Prime Minister’s office also stated that Suga, in addition to tackling bureaucratic sectionalism, will also wage a war against "vested interests and notorious habit of always following precedent".

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Read: New Japan PM Yoshihide Suga "determined To Tear Down Bureaucratic Sectionalism"