Abe-Trump Meeting Mulled after U.S.-N. Korea Summit

May 13, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese government is considering arranging a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump soon after a U.S.-North Korean summit set for June 12, informed sources said Sunday.

Abe aims to be directly briefed by Trump about the outcome of his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, the sources said.

An idea under consideration is that Trump will stop over in Japan to meet with Abe on his way back from Singapore, the sources said.

If the scheduling is difficult, talks between the Japanese and U.S. leaders may take the form of phone conversations, the sources said.

During his meeting with Abe in Florida last month, Trump pledged to take up the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens at his planned summit with Kim.

The outcome of the Trump-Kim meeting is expected to affect Tokyo's policy about a possible Japanese-North Korean summit.

Abe plans to hold talks with Trump on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit set for June 8-9 in Canada to discuss the Trump-Kim. Jiji Press