EXCLUSIVE: Abe mulling visit to U.S., Europe in late April

March 21, 2019

Tokyo--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering visiting the United States and Europe in late April, government sources told Jiji Press on Wednesday.

Abe would meet with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss North Korean and trade issues. Abe also hopes to confirm that Trump will visit Japan in late May, according to the sources.

After the trip, currently expected for April 23-29, Abe will attend a series of ceremonies related to the abdication of Emperor Akihito on April 30 and the enthronement of Crown Prince Naruhito on May 1.

The Abe-Trump meeting would the first since the end of November last year, held on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

Trump is expected to visit Japan May 26-28 as a state guest and June 28-29 to attend a G-20 summit in Osaka, western Japan.

If the envisioned Abe trip is realized, the two leaders would meet face to face three months in a row.

After a U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February, Abe will reaffirm that Japan and the United States will continue to work toward the denuclearization of North Korea and the resolution of the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by the country decades ago.

Another focus would be what Trump will have to say on U.S. trade negotiations with Japan.

Abe is also seen visiting European nations, such as Italy and Belgium, to win their cooperation for the success of the G-20 summit.

The Japanese and U.S. governments are arranging to hold a so-called two-plus-two meeting of their foreign and defense ministers in Washington on April 19. Abe and Trump are expected to confirm the results of the two-plus-two meeting during their summit.

"Amid growing uncertainties, mainly over U.S.-China trade frictions and Britain's planned exit from the European Union, I want to ensure the strong commitment of the G-20 members to the sustainable global economic growth," Abe told a meeting of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday. Jiji Press