TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said he planned to attend Donald Trump's inauguration as US president on January 20, as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government hopes to maintain close ties with its security ally. "We aim to build a relationship of trust with the Trump administration securely," Iwaya told a talk show on public broadcaster NHK. He said he was seeking a meeting with Senator Marco Rubio, Trump's pick to be secretary of state. India and Australia also announced that their foreign ministers would attend the swearing-in as Trump returns to the White House.
It will be Iwaya's first visit to the United States since he became foreign minister in October. Japan, a longtime US ally that enjoyed good relations with Trump during his first administration, is keen to get off to a good start in his second.
Ishiba is looking into visiting the US as early as in the first half of February for his first summit with Trump, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Sunday. Ishiba unsuccessfully sought a meeting in November, shortly after Trump beat Joe Biden in a presidential comeback, sources said at the time. — Reuters
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