TOKYO (AA) - Japan's prime minister and Donald Trump have agreed to hold talks in New York next week, as the American businessman-cum-reality TV star prepares to become president.
Local news agency Kyodo quoted Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda as telling reporters that Shinzo Abe and Trump reaffirmed their resolve to cooperate closely for peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region during a phone conversation Thursday.
The conversation, which lasted around 20 minutes, came a day after Trump claimed a surprise election win over Hillary Clinton and amid concerns in Japan over his campaign comments criticizing the north Asian nation’s trade and security practices.
Hagiuda quoted Abe as having underlined that "a strong Japan-U.S. alliance is an indispensible presence that supports peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region."
Trump told Abe that the countries have a special partnership that he seeks to strengthen, according to Hagiuda -- who described a Japanese leader’s meeting with a U.S. president-elect before inauguration as “unusual”.
"The fact that [Abe and Trump] very quickly held a telephone conversation and agreed to hold a meeting in the near future shows that the trust-building between the leaders has got off to a great start," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Thursday.
However, Kyodo also cited sources close to Japan’s Foreign Ministry as saying that while observing the close presidential race, Abe had expressed his anger at ministry staff for having only organized talks between him and Clinton on the sidelines of September’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Abe’s meeting with Trump in New York next Thursday is due to take place before the premier travels to Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum leaders' summit Nov. 19-20.