Pompeo hails Japanese PM Suga as 'force for good'
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo poses prior to his meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in Tokyo, Japan, October 6, 2020. /Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo poses prior to his meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in Tokyo, Japan, October 6, 2020. /Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday hailed new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as a "force for good" and said he believes Suga will work to strengthen the relationship between Washington and Tokyo.

Speaking at start of his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo, Pompeo said he agreed with Suga that a free and open Indo-Pacific was the foundation of regional peace and stability.

"Prime Minister Suga was a powerful force for good, and for this relationship, too, when he was the chief cabinet secretary," Pompeo said, referring to Suga's more than seven years in former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet.

"The United States has every reason to believe he will strengthen our enduring alliance in his new role." 

Suga, who replaced Abe last month as premier, faces a tricky task of balancing the need to maintain working ties with bigger neighbor China and the U.S. demands for a tougher stance.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2nd L) and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (3rd R) at the start of their meeting in Tokyo, Japan, October 6, 2020. /Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2nd L) and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (3rd R) at the start of their meeting in Tokyo, Japan, October 6, 2020. /Reuters

Pompeo is in Japan for the Quad grouping of foreign ministers – the United States, Japan, Australia and India.

"We're hoping to have some significant announcements, significant achievements," Pompeo told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in the United States before departing for Tokyo, but he declined to say what they would be.

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who met Pompeo earlier on Tuesday, said on Twitter she had spoken with him about "our ongoing cooperation to promote peace, stability and prosperity in our region."

The agenda for the Quad meeting is expected to include economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chains, disinformation, critical minerals, infrastructure investment in the region and counter-terrorism, officials involved in preparation for the meeting said.

China has denounced the Quad as an attempt to contain its development. While the Quad meeting is unlikely to yield a specific action plan, the very fact of its gathering would serve as a warning to China and play to its fears that it might one day grow into a formalized grouping as NATO, experts have said.

Pompeo's trip has been shortened to only include a full day in Japan after visits to South Korea and Mongolia were scrapped when President Donald Trump tested positive for coronavirus and was hospitalized. Trump has since then returned to the White House after a three-night hospital stay to be treated for the virus.

(With input from Reuters, AFP)