Japan PM Ishiba Eyes Meeting With Trump After Inauguration; Intends to Explain Moves to Strengthen Defense Capabilities

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:53 JST, December 31, 2024

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is making arrangements to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in February or later, after Trump’s inauguration, Japanese government sources have said.

Initially, the Trump side had conveyed the idea that an Ishiba-Trump meeting could be held in mid-January. However, according to the sources, Ishiba decided it would be better to hold a formal meeting after Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, to ensure sufficient time.

There were moves within the Japanese government to seek a meeting before the inauguration, to build a personal relationship of trust between Ishiba and Trump. However, a cautious view has taken hold that meeting before the inauguration would make it difficult to produce a joint statement on a wide range of areas of cooperation between Japan and the United States. It would also be difficult to set up another formal meeting in February or later, due to the political schedules of both countries.

At the meeting, Ishiba intends to explain in detail Japan’s recent efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities and the current state of Japanese investments in the United States. He will also share his recognition of the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance.