US President Joe Biden offered his congratulations Monday to Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, saying the "historic partnership" between the two nations will help them face the world's ongoing challenges.

"The US-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world, and I look forward to working closely with Prime Minister Kishida to strengthen our cooperation in the months and years ahead," Biden said in a statement.

"The historic partnership between our two democracies and our two peoples will continue to be a critical asset as we work together to take on the challenges of our time."

The 64-year-old Kishida, a soft-spoken centrist in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), easily won Monday's vote in the Japanese parliament approving him to lead the world's third largest economy.

He succeeds former prime minister Yoshihide Suga, who had announced he would not stand for the LDP leadership after just one year in office.

Biden said he commended Suga "for a successful tenure."