US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second left, and Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, second right, pose for the media before holding a bilateral meeting in Liverpool, England, Saturday Dec. 11, 2021. (Olivier Douliery/Pool via AP)

       LIVERPOOL, England (Kyodo) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken agreed Saturday to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of their countries' alliance to counter China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Japan's government.

       Meeting on the sidelines of the two-day Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting through Sunday in Liverpool, England, Hayashi and U.S. Secretary of State Blinken underscored the need to cooperate with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as like-minded nations such as Australia and India, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

       The two officials agreed it is "indispensable to bolster the deterrence and response capabilities of the alliance amid the increasingly harsh security environment," the ministry said.

       During their first in-person talks since Hayashi took up his post in early November, they did not discuss a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics next year, which Washington announced last week citing China's human rights record, a ministry official said.

       Following the lead of the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada have said they would engage in a diplomatic boycott. Japan has yet to give its position, but government and ruling coalition sources say the country is considering not sending Cabinet ministers to the upcoming global sporting event.

       Hayashi and Blinken also confirmed that the two governments will arrange for an early visit to the United States by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for his first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden after becoming Japan's leader in early October.

       As for so-called two-plus-two security talks involving the countries' top foreign and defense officials, Hayashi and Blinken agreed to aim to hold the next meeting at an early date, the ministry said.

       In his policy speech recently, Kishida vowed to consider "every option" to boost defense, including the acquisition of enemy base strike capability.

       Hayashi and Blinken reiterated their strong opposition to China's bid to alter the status quo by force in the East and South China seas and affirmed the importance of "peace and stability" across the Taiwan Strait, according to a Japanese official.

       They also discussed North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, saying trilateral cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea is vital, the ministry said.

       Ahead of the G-7 meeting, Hayashi met with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and they exchanged views on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal, which Britain applied to join earlier this year, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

       Tokyo serves as chair of the TPP's working group on London's accession.

       Hayashi welcomed progress made so far by the British government in lifting the import restrictions on Japanese farm products imposed in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, while again seeking an early removal of the measure on a scientific basis, the ministry said.

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