Japan's Ishiba Finalizes Arrangements for First Summit with Trump Next Month

Yomiuri Shimbun Reports, Citing Senior Government Officials

▲Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan Photo by Yonhap News

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is reportedly finalizing arrangements to visit the United States in early next month to hold the first Japan-US summit with President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on the 20th (local time), according to the Yomiuri Shimbun citing Japanese government officials on the 12th.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, during the summit, Prime Minister Ishiba is expected to reaffirm the importance of the Japan-US alliance and also discuss the issue of US President Joe Biden's refusal to approve the acquisition of US steel company US Steel by Nippon Steel.

While visiting Indonesia the previous day, Prime Minister Ishiba told reporters regarding the summit with President-elect Trump, "The relationship with the United States is very important for our country (Japan)," adding, "I want to realize it as soon as possible."

He further stated, "I want to share the recognition with President-elect Trump that cooperation between Japan and the US greatly contributes to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."

It has been reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will attend President-elect Trump's inauguration ceremony in Washington DC on the 20th, marking the first time a Japanese cabinet member has done so.

Japanese media have evaluated Foreign Minister Iwaya's attendance at the inauguration as unusual, given that it has been customary for the Japanese ambassador to the US to attend the US presidential inauguration ceremony until now.

Taking advantage of his visit to the US, Foreign Minister Iwaya plans to meet with high-ranking officials of the Trump administration, including US Secretary of State nominee Mark Rubio, and hold consultations related to the summit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.