Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya reiterated Japan’s pledge to strengthen its alliance with the United States under President-elect Donald Trump and to promote global cooperation by enhancing ties with other like-minded partners.
In his speech at the opening of the regular House session, Iwaya stressed Japan’s determination to maintain “strategic and mutually beneficial” relations with China, amid efforts by the Asian neighbors to ease lingering tensions over various issues. “The Japan-US alliance is the cornerstone of our country’s foreign and security policies, and strengthening it is a top priority for the government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, which took office in early October,” Iwaya said. Iwaya emphasized that Japan is seeking to “take cooperation with the United States as a global partner to new heights” by “building solid bonds of trust with the Trump administration” not only in the security field but also in the economic field. In recent years, the United States and its close security ally in Asia have been strengthening trilateral security cooperation, which includes Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, and the Quadrilateral Security Cooperation, which includes Australia and India.
