Biden-Suga Call: "Shared Commitment to Korean Peninsula Denuclearization and Need to Resolve Abducted Japanese Issue"

First Phone Call Between South Korea and Japan Leaders
Confirming Consensus on Pressure Against China

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 27th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden held his first phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide and agreed on the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the early resolution of the issue of abducted Japanese citizens, the White House announced.

The White House stated that President Biden and Prime Minister Suga discussed global challenges and policy issues facing the United States and Japan.

According to the White House, the two leaders confirmed that the U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

The two leaders also reaffirmed U.S. support for the Senkaku Islands, which China claims as its own territory but are Japanese territory. The White House also said that President Biden mentioned to Prime Minister Suga the U.S. commitment to providing extended deterrence to Japan.