Ishiba gives up on wish to meet Trump before January inauguration

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has given up on his wish to hold a first in-person meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on his way back to Tokyo after attending international conferences in South America, a government source said Saturday.

The transition team of former President Trump, who won a nonconsecutive second term in the U.S. presidential election on Nov 5, has told the Japanese government, in principle, that he will not meet foreign leaders before taking office in January, according to the source.

During their phone call in early November, Ishiba agreed with Trump to work together to elevate the bilateral alliance, telling reporters that he "got the impression" the president-elect is "friendly" and a person he "can speak honestly with."

Ishiba, who is on an eight-day trip for the summits of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru and the Group of 20 economies in Brazil, had explored the possibility of stopping in the United States afterward for a meeting with Trump.

Ishiba has emphasized that the Japan-U.S. alliance is the "top priority" for his government's foreign and security policies, amid challenges such as China's growing military assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear and missile development programs.

On Friday in Lima, he held a brief meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and hailed the alliance as being stronger than ever.

The premier is now hoping to establish a personal relationship with Trump, who had rapport with then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his first term as president starting in 2017.

Shortly after the November 2016 presidential election, Abe rushed to Trump Tower in New York to meet with the president-elect and presented him with a golden golf club, paving the way to deepen their friendship. Both were avid golfers.

Abe, who resigned in 2020 for health reasons, was fatally shot in 2021.

© KYODO