Suga, U.S. vice president agree on free, open Indo-Pacific

By Kensaku Fujiwara / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

15:09 JST, April 17, 2021

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris agreed that Japan and the United Sates will cooperate to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region at their meeting held in Washington on Friday.

Suga called on Harris to visit Japan as soon as possible.

The meeting was held ahead of a summit meeting between Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden.

Harris told Suga that Japanese-Americans in California, where she is from, contributed to the nation’s economic development.

She also expressed hope for “the work that our nations will do together to continue with peace and prosperity” in the Indo-Pacific region.

Suga said he “puts high importance on [the United States’] cooperating with its allies and partners.”