Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is gearing up for his first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington. Ishiba has been diligently laying the groundwork for this crucial encounter, seeking advice from key figures such as SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, both of whom recently met with Trump at the White House. Additionally, Ishiba consulted with his predecessor, Fumio Kishida, and reached out to the widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who shared a close relationship with Trump.
During his visit to the White House, Ishiba aims to establish a personal relationship of trust with Trump, a task made challenging by the strong bond Trump had with Abe. The meeting holds significance as Ishiba is only the second world leader to visit Trump during his new term, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
