TOKYO - U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday assured Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga that Washington will help defend a group of Japan-administered islets in the East China Sea under a bilateral security treaty.The comments on the Senkaku Islands drew a swift rebuke from Beijing, which claims them as its own territory.Holding phone talks for the first time, Suga and Biden agreed to strengthen their countries' alliance, with the prime minister congratulating Biden on winning last week's election against incumbent President Donald Trump and conveying his desire to cooperate to r…READ FULL ARTICLE
