Trump to Visit Japan from 27th to 29th... Japan: "Building Trust and Strengthening the U.S.-Japan Alliance"

First Face-to-Face Meeting with Prime Minister Takaichi

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by UPI

The Japanese government officially announced on October 22 that President Donald Trump of the United States will visit Japan from the 27th to the 29th and meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for the first time.

Minoru Kihara, Chief Cabinet Secretary and spokesperson for the Takaichi Cabinet, stated at a regular press briefing that morning, "During his stay in Japan, President Trump will hold talks with Prime Minister Takaichi and is also scheduled to meet with the Emperor of Japan."

Secretary Kihara explained, "As this will be the first face-to-face summit between Prime Minister Takaichi and President Trump, we hope to use this opportunity to build a personal relationship of trust between the two leaders, strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance, and establish a cooperative relationship to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific."

Regarding North Korea's missile launch that day, he said, "We are closely cooperating among Japan, the United States, and South Korea, including real-time sharing of missile alert data," adding, "The Takaichi administration will continue to work closely with the United States, South Korea, and others to gather and analyze information and devote all efforts to surveillance and vigilance." However, he added, "There are no plans to convene a National Security Council meeting."

On the morning of October 22, North Korea launched several projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles at around 8:10 a.m. This marks the first such incident since the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration and appears to be a show of force just over a week ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju.