With just a week to go before the leaders of the United States, China and Russia are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Japan is closely watching for signs of any shift in Washington's policy toward the Indo-Pacific.
The APEC gathering, taking place this year in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, is scheduled for November 18-19.
Tokyo fears that the drubbing US President Donald Trump suffered in last week's midterm elections may push him to seek a diplomatic quick win, one he can point to as evidence of his statesmanship but that fails to take into account the interests of Washington's allies in the region.
Tokyo has moved swiftly to try to ascertain the mood in a White House that was left reeling by the results of the November 3 election.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris on Monday.
Following their meeting, the Japanese Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that both sides agreed to "further advance security cooperation to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. Alliance."
They also vowed to "maintain close communication" on the situation in the Indo-Pacific, without providing further details.
