Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed close cooperation in regional affairs with the new U.S. ambassador, including on North Korea and China and on global de-nuclearisation, a government spokesperson said on Friday. Chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the Japanese prime minister and the former chief of staff to U.S. President Barack Obama had also confirmed close cooperation in dealing with the Ukraine crisis. Asked about Japan's current strict border control restrictions rolled out following the Omicron variant's emergence, Matsuno said the government will take appropriate action based on domestic and overseas developments.
The government said the measure will be in place until the end of February. (Reuters)