The Democratic-controlled House has passed two gun-control bills and Biden urged the Senate \"to step up and act,\" reiterating his support for universal background checks, among other reforms.

\"I strongly, strongly urge my Republican friends in the Congress who even refused to bring up the House passed bill to bring it up now,\" he said. \"This has to end. It's a national embarrassment.\"

Suga also weighed in on the latest shooting during a meeting earlier in the day.

\"I would like to express my condolences to the victims and my sympathies to the families,\" he said. \"Innocent citizens must not be exposed to any such violence.\"

A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 89% of Americans support requiring background checks for all gun buyers, which is similarly high among Republicans at 84%.

\"PHOTO:
Andrew Harnik/AP
PHOTO: President Joe Biden meets with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the State Dining Room of the White House, April 16, 2021.
>

During their meetings throughout the day, the two leaders said they spoke about a number of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and how they could take on challenges from North Korea and China.

\"We're gonna work together to prove that democracies can still compete and win in the 21st century,\" said Biden. \"We can deliver for our people in the face of a rapidly changing world.\"

Biden previously held virtual bilateral meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.

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