Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have had their first conversation since Suga took office in September. As reported by The Japan Times on September 30, the roughly 15-minute phone call reaffirmed the two countries’ dedication to pursuing a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Trudeau promised to continue to support Tokyo’s efforts to retrieve Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Trudeau also voiced his commitment to collaborating with Japan on measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.