U.S. President Joe Biden commended Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on the "successful" hosting of the Tokyo Olympics during phone talks on Tuesday and expressed his support for the Paralympics, which will start later in the month, according to the White House.
The Tokyo Games ended Sunday following more than two weeks of competition held amid extraordinary restrictions under the coronavirus pandemic. Biden had supported Japan's plan to hold a "safe and secure" Olympics despite concerns over pushing ahead with the global sporting event without the pandemic fully under control.
"Biden applauded the performance of all the athletes and highlighted the success of Japanese and U.S. Olympians," the White House said in a statement.