[앵커]
US President Joe Biden spoke on the phone with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the dawn of our time today (28th). This is the first phone call between the US and Japan leaders since President Biden took office on the 20th. The White House said, “The two leaders have confirmed the need for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” It is not known whether there has been any special discussion regarding the Tokyo Olympics, where the need for cancellation has been repeatedly raised both inside and outside Japan.
Correspondent Lim Jong-joo reports in Washington.
[기자]
The normal phone call between the US and Japan lasted about 30 minutes.
The White House said the two leaders affirmed the importance of the US-Japan alliance as a cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
The United States’ unchanging Japanese defense promises to the Senkaku Islands were also discussed.
In this call, discussions on security issues in the region, including China and North Korea, were also held.
The White House also said the two leaders confirmed the need for complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and an early resolution of the abductee problem.
We pledged to cooperate with the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change issues.
However, the White House did not mention whether the Tokyo Olympics issue was discussed.
President Biden then signed an executive order to respond to climate change.
[조 바이든/미국 대통령 : 코로나19에 대한 단합된 국가적 대응이 필요한 것처럼 기후 위기에 대한 일치된 국가적 대응도 필요합니다.]
The executive order included halting federal land leases for oil and gas drilling and cuts in fossil fuel subsidies.
On Earth Day on April 22nd, the International Climate Summit will be held.
At the same time, a Senate approval hearing was held against Linda Thomas Greenfield’s nominee for the US Ambassador to the United Nations.
The nominee said, “The North Korean nuclear issue is not something that can be done alone,” and stated that China and Russia should cooperate as well as allies such as Korea and Japan.
“There will also be a higher level of involvement between the President and the Secretary of State,” he said.
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