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JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER YOSHIHIDE Suga came to Washington at a tumultuous moment: The world is still dealing with the pandemic, the economies of the world’s richest countries—the U.S. and Japan included—haven’t yet recovered from the financial fallout and relations with China are increasingly tense. On April 16, the Japanese leader met with President Joe Biden at the White House for nearly three hours. The following day, in an exclusive interview, he spoke to Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad, Global Editor-in-Chief Nancy Cooper and Chief Washington Correspondent Bill Powell.
Their conversation has been lightly edited for space and clarity.
NEWSWEEK: You’re the first foreign head of state President Biden has met with during his presidency, which seems like an important statement. Many analysts say the U.S.-Japan alliance is now on a par with the “special relationship” between the U.S. and Britain. Could you speak to us about how you see that relationship, what role Japan will play for the U.S. in the region and whether you think you need a personal relationship with President Biden for the U.S.-Japan relationship to work?
I was welcomed by President Biden as the first foreign leader to meet him in person as the president of the United States. To me, it was evidence of the high level of importance that he himself
