Trump Says Japan’s Prime Minister Will Visit Him Next Week

Feb 2, 2025Shinzo Abe Initiative for Peace and Security, News

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will visit him next week at the White House and he looks forward to the conversation.

“They’re coming in to speak to me and I’m looking forward to it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

The meeting is expected to take place on Friday, Feb. 7.

Ishiba plans to highlight how Japanese companies create jobs in the U.S. and increases in Japan’s defense budget, the people said.

Shinzo Abe, a predecessor of Ishiba’s as prime minister who launched significant defense reforms and was assassinated in 2022, enjoyed a strong rapport with Trump during the latter’s first term.

Analysts say Ishiba will want to build on that despite concerns about Trump’s threats of tariffs to correct trade imbalances.

https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/news-services/reuters/20250201-236432/