Finance Minister Taro Aso said that he and newly appointed U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen agreed Monday to closely cooperate in addressing the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic during their discussion also involving policies on China.
"We exchanged views on the economic situations in the world and our countries, and confirmed that we'll keep cooperating closely," Aso, who has doubled as deputy prime minister since 2012, told reporters after the talks over the phone with Yellen, a former chief of the Federal Reserve.
"As for our fiscal policies, our priority is to come out from the crisis by taking bold economic measures," Aso added.