Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and US President Joe Biden will meet virtually on Friday, US Eastern Time.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki made the announcement in a statement on Sunday.

The statement says, "The meeting will highlight the strength of the US-Japan Alliance, which is the cornerstone of peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific and around the world."

It also says President Biden looks forward to working with Prime Minister Kishida to advance the two countries' shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, and to expand close cooperation on critical issues like combating COVID-19 and addressing climate crisis.

The two leaders held telephone talks in October and spoke briefly in November on the sidelines of the UN climate conference, COP26, in Britain.

Kishida had wanted to visit the United States at an early date for summit talks. But both sides appear to have chosen a virtual format of talks in light of the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant and the US political situation.