By Chikafumi Hodo
TOKYO (MaceNews) – Japan and the United States are in talks over a possible visit by President Donald Trump to Tokyo in October, ahead of his planned trip to South Korea for an international summit, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.
The visit would mark the first in-person meeting between Trump and the successor to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is set to step down after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership election on Oct. 4.
Regarding Trump’s trip to Japan, Ishiba delivered a personal letter through Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa on September 5, expressing his wish to invite the president. The government has been aiming to realize the visit before the end of the year, NHK said.
“The U.S. president typically visits Asia only once a year and since Washington places importance on visiting Japan, we want to make it happen,” NHK quoted a Japanese government source as saying.
Various discussions between the two countries, including details on how to implement their deal over tariffs, are expected to accelerate after the LDP elects a new leader and parliament formally chooses Japan’s next prime minister.
Trump has announced his plans to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, leading Tokyo and Washington to explore whether a visit to Japan could be arranged beforehand, NHK said.
According to media reports, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has also said Trump is expected to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur from Oct. 26 to 28, suggesting any Japan visit would likely take place before the APEC meeting in South Korea.