New Japan PM on first day at helm, Biden exchange

Newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held his first phone call with a foreign leader, U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Kishida said that Biden congratulated him on his election, and the two committed to working together to strengthen bilateral ties as well as to "realize a free and open Indo-Pacific."

The prime minister added they agreed to work closely on their approach to China and North Korea. The two leaders have said they hope to arrange a face-to-face meeting soon. Kishida was formally elected by Parliament earlier on Monday to replace Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after only one year in office.

Suga's support had plunged over his handling of the pandemic and insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics as the virus spread.