U. S. President Donald Trump will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines on a whirlwind tour through Asia from Nov. 3-14 in a bid to
U. S. President Donald Trump will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines on a whirlwind tour through Asia from Nov. 3-14 in a bid to firm up alliances and heap pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, the White House announced Monday.
“The President’s travel will underscore his commitment to longstanding United States alliances and partnerships, and reaffirm United States leadership in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the White House said in a statement.
After an initial stop in Hawaii for a visit to the U. S. military’s Pacific Command and the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor on Nov. 3, Trump will kick off his first trip to Asia as president by visiting Japan from Nov. 5-7.
During his visit, Trump is scheduled to meet with U. S. service members and Self-Defense Force troops and participate in bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the White House said.
Abe will also host Trump for a meeting with the families of Japanese nationals abducted by the North Korean regime. Media reports have said Abe was arranging for Trump to meet the parents of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted from her hometown of Niigata on the Sea of Japan coast in November 1977, when she was 13 years old.
