Trump, Japan's Abe to meet later this month

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort April 17-18, the White House announced Monday.

The meeting "will reaffirm the United States-Japan alliance as a cornerstone of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific regiom", the White House said.

"The two leaders will discuss the international campaign to maintain maximum pressure on North Korea in advance of President Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un," it added.

Trump and Abe will also discuss bilateral trade and investment during their third meeting since Trump assumed office last year, according to the White House.

The meeting will take place as Trump prepares for an historic sit-down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a bid to make progress on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Kim is slated to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in April 27 in a meeting expected to lay the groundwork for his meeting with Trump.

The North Korean leader has suggested he is ready to discuss denuclearization as long as Seoul and Washington also take steps toward peace.