Japan PM to meet Trump on Feb 6-8 US trip [Video]

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will meet President Donald Trump on a visit to the United States this week, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday.

“If circumstances permit, he will visit the United States from February 6-8 and hold (his) first face-to-face Japan-US summit meeting with President Trump in Washington DC,” Hayashi said.

“Through this visit we hope to build a strong relationship of trust with the new US administration and take the US-Japan alliance to new heights,” he added.

The Nikkei business daily reported that Ishiba wants to discuss increasing imports of US shale gas with Trump — chiming with the president’s pledge to “drill, baby, drill”.

Ishiba is also expected to discuss a bid by Nippon Steel to buy US Steel blocked by previous president Joe Biden, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Citing national security concerns, Biden blocked Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion acquisition of US Steel …