"Trump informs mid-January next year that he can meet Ishiba"

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump reportedly informed Japan that he could meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in mid-January next year, just before taking office.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported today (19th), citing multiple Japanese government officials.

The Japanese government says it is desirable for Trump to hold a formal presidential summit after he takes office, but the newspaper said it is considering the possibility of visiting the U.S. in January, accepting Trump's wishes.

After meeting Akie, the wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at a Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on the 16th, Trump said he would like to meet Prime Minister Ishiba if he wanted to, but did not mention a specific schedule.

Earlier, Prime Minister Ishiba pushed to stop in the U.S. on his way back home from a tour of South America last month to meet with Trump, but Trump reportedly said it was difficult to hold talks before taking office.