Japanese prime minister celebrates Biden's inauguration

Japan's prime minister celebrated the new US administration Wednesday as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were officially sworn into office.

"Congratulations to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on your inauguration. Japan and the United States are allies tied firmly by bonds and shared universal values," Yoshihide Suga said in a message posted on Twitter.

"I look forward to working with you and your team to reinforce our alliance and to realize a Free and Open Indo-Pacific," Suga added.

Biden and Harris took their oaths of office earlier Wednesday in a heavily guarded but sparsely attended ceremony in the US Capitol.

Security for the ceremony was markedly increased with 25,000 National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. to secure the area after former President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to thwart a constitutionally mandated procedure before Biden assumed office.

Trump departed the White House for the state of Florida, opting to break with a tradition that embodies the peaceful transfer of power by not participating in the inaugural events.

*Writing and contribution by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur