Joe Biden congratulates new Japanese PM

President Biden congratulated Fumio Kishida on his elevation to prime minister of Japan after a parliamentary vote Monday put him in charge of the world’s third-largest economy.

Mr. Biden said the U.S.-Japan alliance is the “cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity” in the Indo-Pacific region that is of increasing importance in the face of a rising China.

“The historic partnership between our two democracies and our two peoples will continue to be a critical asset as we work together to take on the challenges of our time,” Mr. Biden said.

SEE ALSO: Japan’s Parliament elects former diplomat Kishida as new PM

Mr. Biden also congratulated Yoshihide Suga on a “successful tenure.”

The U.S. president hosted Mr. Suga at the White House in April, his first in-person meeting with a foreign leader of his term.

Mr. Kishida served as foreign minister from 2012 to 2017 under Shinzo Abe, who was Mr. Suga’s predecessor and Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.

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