To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
The Yomiuri Shimbun, AP Left: Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba
Right: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump
The Yomiuri Shimbun
14:53 JST, December 20, 2024
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has begun seriously coordinating his schedule for a visit to the United States, following U.S. President-elect Donald Trump telling the Japanese government he would be available to meet with the prime minister in mid-January.
In the government, some officials have voiced concern about holding a meeting before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, but with the administration continuing to walk a tightrope with a minority ruling bloc, there are growing calls within the government to make the most of the limited opportunities available.
If the January meeting actually takes place, it will be an opportunity for the prime minister to build trust with the president-elect at an early stage. However, it will not be an official summit between the two countries, as it is to be held before his inauguration, so the government cannot expect to issue a joint statement or any other form of document to promote the meeting’s accomplishments.
However, the prime minister’s schedule of overseas trips will become uncertain from February, when the Diet will fully plunge into budget discussions.
At a press conference on Thursday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said only that the government would try to set the meeting at “a time convenient to both sides.”
A senior member of the Ishiba administration said, “Trump clearly said that he can meet, so it’s a good choice to accept his offer.”
