"Japanese Prime Minister's Adviser Visits U.S. to Coordinate Meeting with Trump"

The Japanese government is seeking to send an aide to the prime minister to the United States to contact Trump, Kyodo News reported.

According to Kyodo News, Akihisa Nagashima, a close aide to Prime Minister Ishiba, is visiting Washington, D.C., from the 20th to the 24th to coordinate meetings with key security figures in Trump's camp.

Nagashima is expected to meet with a person close to Trump to build U.S.-Japan relations and hold a U.S.-Japan summit as soon as possible after Trump's inauguration in January next year, the news agency said.

In addition, Nagashima added that he is trying to discuss not only the security issues of the two countries but also the cost of the U.S. military presence in Japan.

Prime Minister Ishiba, who is on a tour of South America, reportedly told Japan that Trump's talks were difficult before he took office, although he pushed for a stop in the U.S. to meet with Trump.

In a related development, Japanese media said Prime Minister Ishiba, whose foundation was unstable due to the ruling party's failure to win a majority of seats in last month's general election, was hit politically as he failed to hold early talks with Trump.