TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to visit Washington for talks with President Joe Biden on Friday, April 16, the government announced.

Notably, Suga will be the first foreign leader to meet Biden in person since he took office in January. He wants the talks to be "productive", he told. The two leaders want to show the strong ties of the Japan-US alliance and their commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, Tokyo said.

Suga and Biden are expected to discuss climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, issues related to China and North Korea and cooperation toward a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the Japanese government said. Tokyo has expressed concerns about a new Chinese law which allows Beijing's coastguard to use weapons on foreign ships.

Japan is eager to develop close relations with the new U.S. administration and was hoping to schedule Suga's visit earlier in April, or even sooner. Japanese media, including the Nikkei business newspaper, said Suga's trip was delayed because of a request from Washington.

Chinese coastguard vessels were spotted near a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea every day in the past two months. The Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands are also claimed by China and Taiwan, where they are known as Diaoyu and Tiaoyutai, respectively.

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