Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio (R) and US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Photo: NHK)

During a talk on Thursday, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio strongly criticized China’s military drills in areas around Taiwan, China, saying five Chinese ballistic missiles that fell within Japan's exclusive economic zone threatened Japan's national security and Japanese people. He said Japan strongly denounced China’s acts and requested China to end its military drills.

Kishida expressed his hope that Pelosi will continue to exert leadership in strengthening the bilateral alliance toward a "free and open" Indo-Pacific, a vision pushed by both nations to uphold democracy and the rule of law.

The two leaders discussed other challenges including the North Korea issue, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and efforts to build a nuclear-free world.