US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Japan for three days from Monday for his first in-person talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said.
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Trump is slated to visit Japan for the first time in about six years. Takaichi, who won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election on October 4, became Japan’s first female prime minister on Tuesday, succeeding Shigeru Ishiba.
Kihara, Japan’s top government spokesman, said at a regular press conference on Wednesday that Trump is also set to meet Emperor Naruhito during his stay.
“President Trump’s visit is an extremely meaningful opportunity to further strengthen the Japan-US alliance,” Kihara said, adding that Takaichi’s government “sincerely welcomes” the trip.
Takaichi is known for her conservative political stance and hawkish security views, which she shares with the late prime minister Shinzo Abe, who built a close rapport with Trump during the president’s first four-year term beginning in 2017.
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Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, last visited Japan in 2019 for a Group of 20 summit in Osaka.
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Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female prime minister
Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female prime minister