Ishiba Says He Will Not Meet Trump on Return Trip

Lima, Peru, Nov. 16 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Saturday that he will not meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during his ongoing overseas trip.

Ishiba had been considering holding a meeting with Trump in the United States on his way back to Japan from South America.

"I will return home (on Thursday) as originally planned. I have no plans to meet with Trump," Ishiba told reporters in Lima, Peru.

He said, "I would like to hold a meeting (with Trump) as soon as possible at the most convenient time for both sides."

The Trump side has told the Japanese government that he would not meet with any foreign leaders before he is sworn in because of U.S. legal restrictions on diplomatic negotiations by a president-elect, Ishiba said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]