Japan gov't sounds out Trump camp about Jan. summit
(Mainichi Japan)
The Japanese government has sounded out aides to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump about a possible summit meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shortly after Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20, sources close to the government said.
The government has proposed that Abe and Trump hold their first official summit meeting around Jan. 27, according to the sources. Japan is aiming to make the summit a demonstration of the strong alliance between the two countries.
Prime Minister Abe met with Trump at Trump Tower in New York on Nov. 17, local time (Nov. 18, Japan time). However, the meeting was characterized as a private one before Trump's inauguration to show consideration to current President Barack Obama.
At their first possible official summit meeting, the prime minister will try to ensure that Trump openly confirms the importance of the bilateral alliance. Abe is also expected to explain his views on the situation of East Asia including China, Russia and North Korea to Trump.
However, it remains to be seen how far Trump will have progressed in filling thousands of senior government official positions by the time of the summit. Nor may he have worked out a clear Asia policy.
The summit meeting therefore will likely be aimed at deepening mutual trust rather than discussing individual policy issues.
