Japan's foreign ministry says Prime Minister Taro Aso has spoken with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, the Associated Press reported.
The ministry says they agreed to strengthen Japan-U.S. relations.
In their Friday morning phone call, they also agreed to work closely to tackle issues including the financial
crisis, Afghanistan and North Korea.
According to the ministry, Obama said he would like to forge a personal relationship with Aso, to which the
Japanese leader agreed.
The phone conversation lasted about 10 minutes.