Japan PM pledges ‘unchanging’ allegiance to US under Trump
TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday that he plans to visit the U.S. as soon as possible to meet with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking on the eve of Trump’s inauguration, he called the U.S.-Japan alliance an “unchanging principle” for his country’s foreign and security policy.
His urgency to meet Trump reflects worries in Japan about how Trump’s “America first” policy will affect U.S. commitments to the Asia region, as well as fallout from any heightened tensions with China and North Korea.
Abe was the first foreign leader to meet Trump after the U.S. election, making a stop in New York in November on his way to Latin America.