The White House shares that President Donald Trump called Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Sunday to congratulate him on his overwhelming victory. PM Abe had called a snap election and his ruling coalition won a clear majority with more than two-thirds of the Japanese parliament’s 465 seats.

President Donald J. Trump spoke yesterday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to congratulate him on his recent electoral victory. The two leaders underscored the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and a strong United States-Japan alliance. President Trump reaffirmed his desire to continue working closely with Prime Minister Abe, and said he looks forward to visiting Japan in early November. (link)

Prime Minister Abe is a key strategic ally in the region from a national security and economic perspective. As Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlined extensively last week, the regional Indo-Pacific alliances are repositioning strategically against both the direct threat of the DPRK and the influence of China.

Secretary Tillerson: The Indo-Pacific – including the entire Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific, and the nations that surround them – will be the most consequential part of the globe in the 21st century. […] We are already capturing the benefits of our important trilateral engagement between the U.S., India, and Japan. As we look ahead, there is room to invite others, including Australia, to build on the shared objectives and initiatives. (read more)

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