Ishiba May Visit U.S. in Mid-Jan. for Talks with Trump

   Tokyo, Dec. 19 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting the United States as early as mid-January to hold talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, informed sources said Thursday.
   Ishiba had been arranging a visit to the United States in February or later, but he aims to bring it forward after Trump earlier this week expressed his willingness to meet with the prime minister even before taking office.
   By holding talks with Trump at an early date, Ishiba hopes to build a personal relationship of trust with the president-elect and confirm the significance of the Japan-U.S. alliance.
   "We are continuing communication with the Trump side," Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, on Thursday.
   "We want to create an opportunity to exchange opinions as soon as possible and at a mutually convenient time," Iwaya said.

(2024/12/19-19:46)