EXCLUSIVE: Tokyo Seeks Trump Stopover in Mid-May China Trip

Tokyo, April 30 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is seeking a stopover by U.S. President Donald Trump in Japan during his planned trip to China in mid-May, Japanese and U.S. government sources told Jiji Press on Thursday. During the proposed stopover, Trump is expected to hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss Japan-China relations and Taiwan. This would be their first in-person meeting since Takaichi visited Washington last month. The U.S. government has not yet notified Japan of its decision on the matter due to Trump’s fluctuating schedule amid the turmoil in the Middle East. “Any decision (on the proposed stopover) would likely be made at the last minute,” a Japanese government source said. If Trump skips the stopover, the Japanese government plans to arrange phone talks between the two leaders. Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing for two days from May 14 and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who will accompany the president on the trip, has indicated that he will visit Japan beforehand. During the March summit with Takaichi, Trump said that there was some tension between Japan and China, and that he plans to praise Japan when he meets with Xi. Tokyo is wary of a possible U.S.-China rapprochement that would leave unresolved issues such as China’s economic and military pressure against its neighbors and Taiwan. Trump has described the U.S.-China relationship as a “G2,” or the Group of Two, in which the two countries share global leadership. There are also concerns that Washington could ignore Japan and strike a trade agreement with China. In the face of falling approval ratings, Trump is reportedly eager to produce results ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]