On Tuesday, President Joe Biden sent a "strong" message to new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida about the US commitment to safeguarding the disputed East China Sea islets known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.

The allies also confirmed their collaboration toward attaining a free and open Indo-Pacific in a 20-minute phone call on Tuesday morning, Kishida told reporters at the prime minister's official home.

The announcement came just one day after Kishida declared a parliamentary election for Oct. 31 and pledged to strengthen the country's response to the pandemic. He was sworn in as the country's new prime minister by parliament last week.

" We agreed to work together to strengthen the Japan-US alliance and to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific," Kishida added." We also confirmed that we would collaborate closely on China and North Korea issues."

" In particular, the president made a strong comment on the United States' commitment to defend Japan, including Article 5 of the United States-Japan Security Treaty," Kishida said, referring to the United States' defense commitments to Japan, which include the uninhabited island.

China's activity in the East China Sea has increased Japan's concerns, including incursions into waters near the disputed islands, known in China as the Diaoyus.

According to Kishida, the two partners also agreed to collaborate on global concerns such as the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, and nuclear proliferation.