Suga Begins Olympics Diplomacy
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has started a series of meetings with foreign dignitaries visiting the country for Friday's opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.
But only about 15 countries and organizations have sent their representatives to Japan, partly due to the spread of the coronavirus.
Suga had dinner with US First Lady Jill Biden at the State Guest House in Tokyo on Thursday, with anti-infection measures in place. His wife, Mariko, was also present.
The prime minister said he welcomes the US First Lady's visit to Japan and that her attendance at the Olympics opening ceremony will be of great significance for Japan-US relations.
Jill Biden expressed her delight at seeing Suga again, after they met at the Group of Seven summit in Britain last month. She also conveyed her wishes for the success of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
The prime minister also met World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Suga expressed his gratitude for Tedros' commitment to anti-infection measures at the Tokyo Games.
Suga said he wants to send a global message that the world can unite and surmount the predicament with the efforts and wisdom of the people.
Tedros expressed his delight at the Tokyo Games going ahead and praised Japan for doing its best to prevent coronavirus infections. He voiced his gratitude to the country for helping with the global response to the virus.
Suga expressed Japan's intention to play an active role in discussions to review and reform the WHO. He emphasized the need for the information and expertise of different countries and territories to be shared more broadly. He also stressed the importance of an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus.
Tedros responded by expressing his thanks for Japan's contributions to the WHO.