US President-elect Donald Trump plans to meet with late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s widow Aki Abe for a private dinner at his Florida resort on Sunday, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The meeting comes as Tokyo seeks to forge closer ties with Trump ahead of his inauguration on January 20.
The US is Japan’s most important economic and security partner, while Tokyo is Washington’s key ally, hosting military bases on China’s doorstep.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Isiba tried to go to America to meet with Trump after the G20 summit in Brazil on November 18 and 19, but the meeting did not happen.
After Trump’s 2016 election, Shinzo Abe was the first foreign leader he met and they forged a strong relationship through his first term in the White House. Trump has often spoken fondly of Abe, who was killed while giving a speech in Japan in 2022.
Although Aki Abe has no government position, she has served as a bridge between her country and Trump. Trump has been calling her regularly since her husband’s murder, CNN anchor Caitlan Collins wrote on X earlier Thursday.
President-elect wife Melania Trump will attend the dinner, Collins wrote. The Trump transition did not respond to a request for comment.
Ishiba told reporters in November. On June 16, the Trump transition team informed them that according to US law, the president-elect cannot meet with foreign leaders before assuming the presidency. Since the election, Trump has met with a number of foreign leaders, including Argentine President Javier Miley and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Aki Abe could not be reached for comment. His plans to visit the United States in hopes of meeting with Trump were reported by Japanese media earlier this week.
The Japanese government has declined to comment on his reported plans to meet with Trump.
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