TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba intends to consider visiting the United States to meet the president-elect before the inauguration in January next year, the Yomiuri newspaper said on Sunday.
“As the prime minister of Japan, an ally of the U.S., it is necessary for me to have a relationship (with President-elect) before officially taking office in January next year,” the Yomiuri quoted him as saying in its interview held on Saturday.
The premier also said he “won’t deny the possibility” of visiting the U.S. before or after his planned visits to South America in the middle of next month, the Yomiuri said.
If this happens, it would be Ishiba’s first visit to the U.S. since he took office as prime minister.
The premier is expected to attend the APEC summit in Peru and the G20 summit in Brazil in November, the report said.
The U.S. presidential election, which pits Democrat Kamala Harris against Republican Donald Trump, will be held on Nov. 5.
(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
