Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed ways to strengthen the Washington-Tokyo alliance and a host of global and regional issues such as China and North Korea on Friday, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Meeting in Washington, the two top diplomats pledged to work to bolster the alliance's capacity to deter and respond to threats.

While exchanging views on global and regional matters, Kamikawa and Blinken agreed to cooperate closely on several issues regarding China and called for a peaceful resolution to tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Regarding North Korea, the two diplomats agreed to work closely together - both bilaterally and trilaterally with South Korea - in responding to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats.

They also exchanged opinions on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kamikawa's visit was in preparation for Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's state visit in early March.