Reuters reported that U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing a plan to visit Japan before attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju, Korea, at the end of October.
Reuters on the 24th cited multiple U.S. and Japanese government officials as saying the two countries are coordinating Trump's schedule for a visit to Japan in October.
One official noted, "A White House trip is not finalized until it is officially announced, and plans can change," while adding that the timing of the Japan visit is likely to be before attendance at the Gyeongju APEC summit. The White House and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for official comment.
If this visit to Japan goes through, Trump will meet for the first time with the new Japanese prime minister who will succeed Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, who steps down on the 4th next month. It is seen as a strategic calculation to hold the first summit as soon as the new prime minister takes office and to solidify the two countries' alliance from the early days of the term. It indicates an important diplomatic objective of coordinating pending U.S.-Japan issues at an early stage.
The most urgent issue between the United States and Japan is trade. Prime Minister Ishiba agreed to a basic framework for a trade agreement that largely accommodates U.S. demands to avoid the high automobile tariff that Trump has pressed. But details remain a task. Reuters pointed out that Japan corporations' pledges to expand investment in the United States, and additional measures on imports of semiconductors and pharmaceuticals that the Trump administration is threatening worldwide, are issues the two countries need to resolve. Experts said Trump is likely to use this visit to again press the new prime minister on U.S. demands.
Trump has decided to attend Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)–related summits to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from the 26th to the 28th of next month. After that, he will stop in Japan and then join the APEC summit to be held in Gyeongju from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. Trump directly announced that during this period he will hold his first face-to-face summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. At the first U.S.-China summit since Trump took office, key bilateral issues such as trade imbalances, the competition for technological hegemony, and the Taiwan issue are expected to be on the table.
Diplomatic circles are offering various interpretations of Trump's itinerary for this Asia tour. With the U.S.-China summit, the highlight of the Asia tour, taking place in Korea, there are expectations that Korea will become the center stage diplomatically. Some have also raised the possibility that Trump could hold a surprise meeting with Kim Jong Un, chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, around the APEC period.
On the other hand, there are also concerns that he will visit Japan before visiting Korea, the APEC host. The analysis is that it could serve as a multipurpose card to empower the new Japanese prime minister and signal a prioritization of U.S.-Japan relations, while also pressuring Korea on issues such as trade. Reuters described Japan as "Washington's closest ally in East Asia."