Japanese Foreign Minister to Attend Trump's Inauguration

(CLO) Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya confirmed that he will attend the inauguration ceremony of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.

Mr. Iwaya said that in addition to attending the ceremony, he would also seek to meet with Senator Marco Rubio, Mr. Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, and other senior officials in the new administration. This is an important preparation step to lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s visit to the United States, scheduled to take place in February.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. Photo: NHK

In an interview with NHK, Mr. Iwaya stressed that Japan wants to establish a relationship of trust with the Trump administration to ensure close coordination on international issues.

He also vowed to explain Japan's role in the US economy and called for a cooperative approach instead of tough trade measures, such as tariff hikes, that could weaken the global economy.

Prime Minister Ishiba, who took office in October, also expressed his desire to meet President Trump "as soon as possible and at an appropriate time." He initially considered visiting the US in mid-January but decided to postpone the visit to February to better achieve the formal summit.

Prime Minister Ishiba's visit will focus on reaffirming the importance of the Japan-US alliance and may touch on some bilateral trade issues.

In addition to Japan, other important US allies such as India and Australia also sent foreign ministers to attend the inauguration. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called it an "important opportunity" to discuss economic and security cooperation between the two countries.

Ngoc Anh (according to NHK, Kyodo News, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/bo-truong-ngoai-giao-nhat-ban-se-du-le-nham-chuc-cua-ong-trump-post330065.html