Press Conference by Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae regarding Her Summit Telephone Talk with U.S. President Trump

(Reporter) 
Earlier today you held a telephone conversation with U.S. President Trump. Could you tell us what issues were discussed, and which side proposed to have the call? In addition, regarding your planned visit to the United States, which is being coordinated for at the earliest possible timing this year, could you tell us whether there has been any progress in the coordination, including with respect to the timing of the visit? Furthermore, regarding the Chinese military exercises conducted around Taiwan at the end of last year, if the issue came up, we would also appreciate it if you could share what kind of exchanges took place, including whether there was any sharing of views or understandings. Thank you.

(Prime Minister Takaichi)
Earlier today, I held a telephone conversation with U.S. President Trump. As we had been coordinating a telephone call at the beginning of the year, President Trump proposed holding the call today, and it was conducted accordingly.

From my side, I conveyed my congratulations on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States this year. I also once again expressed my respect for the diplomatic efforts undertaken by President Trump toward the end of last year to realize peace in various regions around the world, including Ukraine and the Middle East. With President Trump, we agreed that, as this will be a momentous anniversary year, we should make it a year to carve out a new chapter in the history of the Japan–U.S. Alliance, and to further deepen the friendly relations between Japan and the United States, as well as broad-ranging cooperation between Japan and the United States, including in the areas of the economy and security.

We also confirmed that we will jointly and vigorously promote cooperation among like-minded countries, including Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea, as well as a free and open Indo-Pacific. Furthermore, we exchanged views mainly on the Indo-Pacific region and confirmed the close coordination between Japan and the United States under the current international situation.

President Trump once again extended an invitation to me to visit the United States. We agreed to proceed with concrete coordination in detail to realize my visit to the United States this spring.

I believe it was extremely significant that, at the beginning of the year, I was able to speak directly with President Trump and confirm the strong coordination of the Japan–U.S. Alliance. Going forward, I would like to continue close communication with President Trump. That is all from me.