Aug 10 , 2021. 10 minutes ago – 09:41 KYODO NEWS

WASHINGTON – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden held phone talks on Tuesday, during which they were expected to discuss topics including the just-ended Tokyo Olympics, according to Japanese government sources.

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.

The two leaders may also discuss ways to further advance a “free and open” Indo-Pacific amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region, such as through cooperation among the Quad group that also involves Australia and India.

In Washington on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, met with Japan’s national security adviser Takeo Akiba and affirmed the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as Beijing steps up pressure on Taipei, according to the U.S. State Department.

The Taiwan issue has become one of the key topics of discussion between the two countries, with concerns growing over China’s ambition to invade the self-ruled democratic island.

Taiwan and mainland China have been separately governed since they split as a result of a civil war in 1949. Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, has since endeavored to bring the island into its fold.

Blinken and Akiba also expressed their opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea, where the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands are located, as well as to activities that undermine or destabilize the rules-based international order.

The two also noted the importance of trilateral cooperation involving South Korea to address what they call the “pressing challenges of the 21st century,” including the denuclearization of North Korea.

Akiba also agreed during a separate meeting with his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan the same day on the need for constant communication between Japan’s National Security Secretariat and the U.S. National Security Council, according to the Japanese government.

Akiba, the head of the secretariat and a former vice foreign minister, assumed Japan’s top security post on July 7, replacing Shigeru Kitamura, a former National Police Agency official.

Cr. KYODO NEWS