Japan, "Please pay a lot of attention to us...Building trust with the next administration"

The Japanese government says it is watching the U.S. presidential election, which is being counted, with great interest, including trends and implications.

Japanese government spokesman Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference in the morning, stressing that the U.S.-Japan alliance is the backbone of Japan's diplomacy and security and the foundation for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the international community.

Asked about the international situation after the U.S. presidential election, he said, "With the security environment surrounding Korea, the U.S. and Japan getting more severe, strengthening cooperation between Korea, the U.S. and Japan is unprecedentedly important," adding that he remains unchanged in his view to continuing close cooperation.

On the need for high-level talks with the president-elect, he explained that nothing has been decided at this point, but he is trying to build strong trust and cooperation with the next administration to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance.

At the same time, when Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a congratulatory message to the president-elect or asked about his plan to speak to the president-elect, he declined to say that nothing has been decided at this time.