Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday he hopes to affirm cooperation with U.S. President Joe Biden on "a range of issues regarding China" when he travels to Washington next month.
The trip, which government sources have said will be from April 8 to 10, comes amid mounting concern over China's growing economic and military influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan will work with the United States and other "like-minded countries" including Australia and India "to strategically advance its vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific," Suga said in a press conference at which he announced the government's decision to lift the COVID-19 state of emergency declared for the Tokyo region on Sunday as planned.
The countries, collectively known as the Quad, held a summit last week in which they agreed to boost production of COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed to developing countries, seen as a response to China's "vaccine diplomacy."
China is embroiled in a number of territorial disputes in surrounding waters, including over the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims and calls Diaoyu. It has also continued to militarize artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea despite an international ruling in 2016 against its claims.
The Washington trip is expected to make Suga the first foreign leader to meet Biden in person since the president took office in January.
"I'd like to build a personal relationship of trust with President Biden and strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance," the prime minister said.
Suga said he is also looking to affirm cooperation on the pandemic, climate change and efforts to secure the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s in the meeting with Biden.
Asked by a reporter on the timing of the next general election, the prime minister shot down speculation he could dissolve the House of Representatives and go to the polls shortly after returning from Washington, saying his focus is on bringing COVID-19 under control.
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