TOKYO (REUTERS) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed on Friday (Oct 16) to do "whatever it takes" to organise the Tokyo Olympics next year by working closely with the International Olympics Committee and its Japan chapter.

"I want to make sure I see the Olympics take place next year," he said, speaking at a town hall at Kyodo News, Japan's largest news agency.

He also touched on his visit to Vietnam and Indonesia scheduled for Sunday, saying that a free and open Indo-Pacific is "essential" to stability in the region.

His visit would mark the first time he travels overseas as prime minister.

At the townhall meeting, which also marks a month since the day he came into power after predecessor Shinzo Abe stepped down due to ill health, Suga added that he would combine measures to rein in the coronavirus with steps to revive the economy.