Japanese PM to meet Trump next week

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to travel to the US next week to meet President-elect Donald Trump with a view to strengthening bilateral ties, officials said on Thursday.

Abe and Trump spoke over the telephone, following the latter's victory in the US presidential elections, Japan's top government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said in a press conference.

During their 20-minute-long conversation, Abe congratulated Trump on his win and stressed the need to maintain a strong US-Japan alliance to preserve peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, Efe news reported citing Suga as saying.

Abe and Trump will hold a meeting in New York on November 17 to discuss bilateral ties and future challenges, Suga added.

Trump called relations between the two countries "excellent" and expressed his desire to further boost ties, according to the Japanese spokesperson.

Abe will travel to the US with a delegation comprising his team of advisers, before going to Peru to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima from November 19 to 20.

On Wednesday, Abe had expressed his willingness to work closely with Trump and had praised him as "a very successful businessman with extraordinary talents".

"Not only have you made a great contribution to the growth of the US economy, but now as a strong leader, you have demonstrated your determination to lead the US," he said.

--IANS

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