Trump to meet widow of former Japan PM Abe for a private dinner, source says

WASHINGTON – US President-elect Donald Trump is planning to meet with Mrs Akie Abe, the widow of the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, on Dec 14 over a private dinner at his resort in Florida, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The meeting comes as Tokyo seeks to forge close ties with Trump before he takes office on Jan 20.

The US is Japan’s most important economic and security partner, while Tokyo is a key Washington ally, hosting military bases on China’s doorstep.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had sought to travel to the US to meet with Trump after the Group of 20 conference in Brazil from Nov 18 to Nov 19 but the meeting never materialised.

After Trump’s 2016 election, Mr Abe was the first foreign leader he met and they maintained a strong relationship through his first term in the White House. Trump has often spoken fondly of Mr Abe, who was assassinated in 2022 while giving a speech in Japan.

While Mrs Abe holds no government position, she has served as one bridge between her country and Trump. He has called her regularly to check in on her since her husband’s assassination, CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins wrote on X on Dec 12.

Mrs Melania Trump, the US President-elect’s wife, will attend the dinner, Ms Collins wrote.

The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr Ishiba told reporters on Nov 16 that the Trump transition team had informed them that under US law, the US President-elect could not meet with foreign leaders before assuming the presidency.

Since the election, Trump has met with several foreign leaders, however, including Argentinian President Javier Milei and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Mrs Abe could not be reached for comment. Her plans to travel to the US in the hopes of meeting Trump was reported earlier this week by the Japanese media.

The Japanese government has declined to comment on her reported plans to meet Trump. REUTERS