Less than two months before a closely fought U.S. election, Japan's outgoing prime minister, Fumio Kishida, on Monday reiterated a call for continued U.S. involvement and leadership in East Asia and the world, APA reports citing Reuters.
Kishida, who is not contesting a Japanese ruling party leadership election this week, told an event hosted by Bloomberg in New York that the foundation of the international order was being challenged in various parts of the world, including by Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
He said he had made every effort in office to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance and reinforce Japan's defense capabilities "and to defend the free and open international order based on the rule of law."
"What kind of future do we intend to hand down to our children and grandchildren? It is not a world where freedom is restricted and the will of the people is suppressed," he said.
"It should be a safe and peaceful society based on freedom and democracy, which the United States has played a leading role in building since the end of World War Two. Today, East Asia and the rest of the world need U.S. involvement and leadership. This is also for the U.S.'s own national interest."
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
