US-Japan talks: Blinken & FM Mortegi committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific

Toshimitsu Motegi and Antony Blinken reiterated their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The Japanese Foreign Minister, Motegi and US top diplomat, Blinken spoke via phone and this was their first call since Motegi was reappointed as the top diplomat in Japan's new government on Monday.

As per a report by Sputnik, the call comes only days after Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden spoke on the phone for the first time since he assumed office. The two leaders pledged to work together to create an Indo-Pacific area that is free and open.

The parties have shared views on a wide range of issues

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the parties have shared views on a wide range of issues, including regional difficulties and climate change cooperation. The new Japanese prime minister is hell-bent on working on global concerns such as the response to the coronavirus, climate change and global denuclearization. The officials also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Tokyo-Washington alliance, pursuing the idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific area, and cooperating on China and North Korean challenges.

According to Kyodo News, during the phone call, Kishida informed reporters that Biden reaffirmed that the Senkaku Islands, a collection of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, are covered by the Japan-US security treaty. The Senkaku Islands are under Japanese authority, but China and Taiwan continue to claim them. As a result of history and international law, Tokyo argues that the islands constitute an inalienable part of its territory. On Monday, Kishida was sworn in as Prime Minister of Japan.

Beijing claims control over nearly all of the South China Sea

The Indian Ocean and the western and Central Pacific Oceans, including the South China Sea, are considered to be part of the Indo-Pacific region. While Beijing claims control over nearly all of the South China Sea, it also has territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. The existing rules-based framework appears to have been challenged by China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its aspirations to move into the Indian Ocean.

(Inputs from ANI)

Image: AP