Shigeru Ishiba, Japan Prime Minister, Making Arrangements to Meet President-elect Trump This Month

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:51 JST, November 8, 2024

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba plans to visit the United States and meet U.S. President-elect Donald Trump after visiting South America in mid-November, according to multiple sources close to the government.

Ishiba reportedly hopes to build trust with Trump by meeting in person before the inauguration in January so they can work toward stabilizing the Japan-U.S. alliance. The two spoke over the phone Thursday and agreed to have a face-to-face meeting soon, the sources said.

The meeting is likely to take place either in New York, where Trump is based, or Florida, where his residence is located. If this meeting occurs, it will be Ishiba’s first visit to the United States as prime minister.

Trump’s diplomacy tends to be strongly influenced by personal relationships with leaders of other countries. Right after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited New York and became the first foreign leader to meet President-elect Trump. They proceeded to form a close personal relationship.

Ishiba and Trump reaffirmed strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance in the phone conversation. After the talks, Ishiba expressed his enthusiasm to reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office, saying, “I would like to discuss strengthening the alliance from various perspectives such as equipment, operation and joint command.”

Although the conversation only lasted about five minutes, Ishiba said, “[President Trump] seemed very friendly. I got the impression we can discuss things openly and honestly.”

Ishiba is scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru on Nov. 15-16 and the Group of 20 major economies summit in Brazil on Nov. 18-19. He also plans to meet U.S. President Joe Biden during his visit to South America.