US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is stopping in Tokyo on his way back from a tour of Asia to pay his respects on the death of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Blinken was in Bali to attend the G20 foreign ministers meeting, which he said on Saturday was overshadowed by the assassination of the Japanese prime minister and a powerful US ally, according to Bloomberg News.
The US Secretary of State is currently in Bangkok for bilateral meetings with senior Thai officials, including Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
“The US-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and it is stronger than ever,” the US State Department said in a statement today.
The Foreign Ministry said Blinken, who has already offered his condolences to his Japanese counterpart in Bali, will also meet with senior Japanese officials on Monday during his short visit to Tokyo.
And the Japanese “Kyodo” news agency reported, quoting a Japanese government official, that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making arrangements to receive a call from Blinken on Monday morning. Kyodo and other local media reported that
Abe’s body is scheduled to be seen on Monday, and the funeral is scheduled for Tuesday.
