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| PM Suga (L) and French President Macron (R). (Photo by= Kyodo) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] TOKYO - Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and French President Emmanuel Macron began a meeting Saturday in Tokyo, a day after Macron attended the opening ceremony of the Olympics, which France will host in the summer of 2024, Kyodo reported.
Besides issues related to the Olympics, Suga and Macron are expected to focus on bilateral security cooperation as part of efforts to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of China's assertive territorial claims and military buildup in the region. France shares a common interest with Japan, the United States and other democracies in ensuring regional peace and stability as Paris has a number of island territories in the Indian and Pacific oceans. France has been increasing involvement in multinational military drills with Japan and other democracies in the East China Sea and other parts of the Indo-Pacific.
Macron may raise the issue concerning Vincent Fichot, a 39-year-old French national who says his Japanese wife ran off with his two children. Saturday's meeting came after the leaders met on the sidelines of the June summit of the Group of Seven industrialized nations in England, at which Macron made a promise to attend the Olympics opening in Tokyo despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
