Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi plans to visit the United States, possibly in mid-February, to hold discussions with his new counterpart, Antony Blinken, government sources said Wednesday.
In a telephone call hours after Blinken won Senate confirmation as the U.S. secretary of state, Motegi said they agreed to bolster the alliance between the two countries and achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific, sharing the view that the regional security situation is becoming increasingly severe.
"His talks with Japan, with myself, were the second following Canada. This is proof that the (President Joe) Biden administration and Secretary of State Blinken value the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance and are committed to the Indo-Pacific region," Motegi told reporters.