
TOKYO -- U.S. President Joe Biden gently put his hand on Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's back as the two leaders left the Rose Garden at the White House after a joint news conference in mid-April. Biden made the gesture as if to show his appreciation for Suga's visit to Washington, despite the ongoing pandemic and his Asian counterpart's relative lack of experience in foreign diplomacy.
The face-to-face meeting could firm up relations in these uncertain times and provide a greater bond than online talks might have achieved.