Japan, U.S. Agree to Realize 1st Ishiba-Trump Summit Early

Washington, Jan. 21 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed Tuesday to speed up preparations to realize the first summit between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Donald Trump early.

In their first meeting held after Rubio took office the same day under the second Trump administration, the two top diplomats agreed to work closely to continue efforts to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance.

Ishiba is considering visiting the United States in early February at the earliest.

In the meeting with Iwaya, Rubio "underscored enduring U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Japan alliance as the cornerstone of security and prosperity in the region," according to the U.S. State Department.

The two officials also discussed concerns over North Korea's political and security alignment with Russia and Chinese support for Russia's defense industrial base, according to the U.S. side.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]