Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has begun coordinating a schedule to visit the United States after February next year, following the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, for a summit meeting, according to a report by Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 30th.
According to Nikkei, the Japanese government conveyed to the Trump transition team that Prime Minister Ishiba wishes to meet after February next year as a leader of an allied country. Shortly after President-elect Trump met with Akie Abe, wife of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the 15th (local time), there was speculation within the Japanese government about an early meeting with Prime Minister Ishiba before Trump's inauguration on January 20th. However, a more cautious view emerged that meeting before Trump's inauguration might make it difficult to achieve meaningful results, leading to a revision of the summit schedule.
Prime Minister Ishiba also stated on the 28th, "We are coordinating the schedule behind the scenes," but added, "It is meaningful for President-elect Trump to formally launch his administration and discuss narrowing down issues between Japan and the U.S. I do not think it is better to meet as soon as possible."
However, since February marks the start of Japan's regular Diet session, during which the budget for fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026) will be deliberated, Nikkei reported that a plan for Prime Minister Ishiba to visit the U.S. using weekends and holidays is emerging. In February next year, the non-weekend public holidays in Japan are the 11th and the 24th, and there is a possibility that the schedule will be set during the week of those dates.
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