Washington: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in a phone call with his Japanese counterpart Monday appreciated the recent “successful” visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to India where he reaffirmed the vision to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, during his visit to India last week, unveiled his government’s much-awaited plan for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific and came down heavily on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine saying it triggered a fundamental challenge to defend peace.
Sullivan Monday spoke with Japan National Security Secretariat Secretary General Akiba Takeo to discuss the regional security environment and US-Japan bilateral cooperation, the White House said.
During the telephonic conversation, the US national security advisor welcomed the recent breakthrough in the Japan-Republic of Korea relations and expressed strong support for Prime Minister Kishida’s recent visit to Kyiv.
The two National Security Advisors reiterated the importance of continuing to support Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s “brutal and unlawful invasion”, the White House said.
“Sullivan expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Kishida’s successful visit to India, where he reaffirmed Japan’s vision to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific with key like-minded partners,” the White House said in a readout of the call.
They also reconfirmed their commitment to maintaining a credible alliance deterrence capability and discussed the importance of increasing multilateral cooperation across the region.
The two officials committed to continue deepening the bilateral partnership to advance their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, it said.
PTI