Visiting Japanese national security adviser Shigeru Kitamura on Wednesday affirmed with top U.S. government officials their close bilateral ties in the wake of the first change in Japanese leadership in nearly eight years, a government official said.
Under new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who succeeded Shinzo Abe last week, Tokyo will continue to strengthen the bilateral alliance while bolstering its defense capabilities and deterrence force, Kitamura, the head of Japan's National Security Secretariat, said during talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
In a meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun later in the day, Kitamura said the Japan-U.S. alliance will remain the cornerstone of Japan's foreign and security policy and that Japan will continue to pursue a free and open Indo-Pacific, a vision seen to be aimed at countering China's clout in the region.