TOKYO 

Japan and the US reiterated their commitments to a mutual security pact on Saturday.

The two countries will work to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region in light of a growing Chinese presence, said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a reception for a group of US lawmakers in Tokyo.

The group included Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Senator Bob Menendez.

There is a bipartisan understanding in the US of the significance of the Japan-US alliance, said the lawmakers.

Kishida also asked for US cooperation to bring home Japanese nationals who were abducted by North Korea decades ago.

​​​​​​​*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk