TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan and the United States are in the final stage of planning for a meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 7, the Asahi newspaper said on Thursday, citing sources from both nations.
The leaders will discuss strengthening cooperation in the areas of security and the economy, the report said. Ishiba wants to build a personal relationship with Trump and agree to further deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance, according to the report.
A spokesperson at Japan’s foreign ministry told Reuters that “nothing has been decided about the specific timing” for a meeting between the leaders and a schedule is being coordinated.
Ishiba also plans to explain job creation in the U.S. by Japanese companies and an increase in Japan’s defence budget at a meeting with Trump, the report said.
(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko and John Geddie; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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