Japan’s Suga to meet with Biden in first half of April — minister

FILE PHOTO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan March 5, 2021. Yuichi Yamazaki/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will travel to the United States to meet President Joe Biden next month to discuss Indo-Pacific issues, Japan’s chief government spokesman said on Friday.

Suga will go to the U.S. in the first half of April and will become the first foreign leader to meet face-to-face with President Biden, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters.

The leaders’ meeting is intended to show their strong commitment to a free and fair Indo-Pacific region, Kato said.