FOREIGN MINISTER KAMIKAWA: (Via interpreter) Secretary Blinken, let me begin by extending my heartfelt welcome on your visit to Japan. Japan and the United States have ties that are now stronger than ever, and through Prime Minister Kishida's historic visit to the U.S. in April, we were able to demonstrate to the international community what kind of future we will build together. Together with you, I would like to thoroughly follow up on the deliverables of the visit, and we seek to further deepen our cooperation as global partners in maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law. To this end, the Japan-U.S. 2+2, the Japan-U.S. Ministerial Meeting on Extended Deterrence, and the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. - or Quad - Foreign Ministers' Meeting are all extremely important opportunities.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, thank you so much, and it's always for me wonderful to be in Japan, to be in Tokyo, and to be with my friend and colleague the foreign minister. Yoko, thank you for hosting all of us and for putting these very important meetings together. I feel as if somehow I gave you my notes, because everything you said sounds exactly like what I would say, because it has the merit of being exactly the way we see things. And I think this is testament to the fact that our partnership is stronger, in my judgment, than it's ever been - certainly in my experience - and Japan for us is a partner of intense value because we're working together not only on bilateral issues, not only on regional issues, but on global issues. We see the United States and Japan side by side in so many places where it matters around the world, and we're grateful for that.
I think the agenda that we have with the 2+2, with the Quad meeting is also very much a reflection of that, but I'm also very pleased for this opportunity for the two of us to be able to share perspectives on some of the global challenges, the alliance issues as well, and to you, again, thank you. Thank you for the partnership, for your friendship, and for all that our countries are doing together at a critical time. Thank you.
