"Under the new US administration the value and the importance of the US-Japanese alliance remain unchanged, it is necessary to extend and deepen this firm alliance," Kawai was quoted as saying by the NHK broadcaster.
The two confirmed the importance of holding a high-level meeting between the leaders after Trump's inauguration on January 20.
The US-Japan security treaty was signed in 1951. The agreement arranged and implied that US forces would remain in Japan after the country regained sovereignty. US troops were deployed on the Okinawa island in a military base. The United States committed itself to defend Japan if the country is attacked.
During the election campaign Trump said that he would like to make countries such as Japan, Germany and South Korea pay for their alliance with the United States and protection by the US troops on their territories. Abe said that Japan would continue the cooperation with the United States in the framework of the alliance.
Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!