White House confirms US-Japan leaders summit
(Baonghean.vn) - On April 2, the White House announced that President Donald Trump will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 17-18 to discuss the previously planned summit between the US leader and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as well as other issues.
The two leaders will meet at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where they will "discuss the international campaign to maintain maximum pressure on North Korea," the statement said. The third summit between Trump and Abe will also "explore ways to expand fair and reciprocal trade and investment" between the US and Japan.
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| President Donald Trump will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 17-18. Photo: AP |
Prime Minister Abe, who announced the visit at a meeting with ruling party lawmakers in Japan, said he intended to ask President Trump to discuss issues related to Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea at the upcoming summit between the US president and the North Korean leader.
Japan has long maintained a tough stance in negotiations with Pyongyang. However, analysts say the prospect of a meeting between Trump and Kim, as well as an inter-Korean summit, seems to be forcing Tokyo to reconsider its stance.
Japan is concerned that the current diplomatic roadmap may ignore resolving North Korea's short- and medium-range missile capabilities, as well as the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang during the Cold War./.
