Abe set for Trump meeting

Japan’s Prime Minister Shizo Abe is set to become the first foreign leader to meet United States President-elect Donald Trump, since the election last week.

Abe said before he departed Tokyo for the United States late on Wednesday that he wanted to build trust and work together for prosperity and world peace, according to reports.

The meeting in New York comes amid concern over the foreign policy direction of Tokyo’s biggest ally.

Trump has said Japan needs to pay more to maintain US troops on its soil.

He also condemned a major trade deal struck by President Obama with Japan and other Pacific Rim countries.

The US and Japan have been key allies since the end of World War Two, when the US helped Japan rebuild its economy.

Abe is stopping in New York on his way to an Asia-Pacific trade summit in Peru.

But details of the meeting were unclear, with a Japanese official saying the venue had not been “firmed up”.

“There has been a lot of confusion,” a Japanese official said.

We want to safeguard our alliance with the United States during the transition,” a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official, Tetsuya Otsuru, also said when the meeting was announced.

Comments

Chelsea preparing world-record Bonucci bid

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic has told manager Antonio Conte that a January move for Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci could be on the cards. According to reports from the Telegraph, the Russian businessman is prepared to bankroll a number of new signings in the New Year as the Blues look to retain the Premier League trophy. Bonucci would command a world-record fee for a defender, expected to be in the region of £50 million, should he move to Stamford Bridge.

Turkey bomb victims ‘mostly children’surviving

Most of the victims of the bombing of a Kurdish wedding party in the Turkish city of Gaziantep on Saturday were children, media reports have said. Twenty-nine victims were under the age of 18, reports said, with one official saying 22 were under the age of 14. The death toll rose to 54 yesterday. The suicide bomber himself was a child aged between 12 and 14, President Recep Tayyip One woman lost four children in the attack, Emine Arhan, said yesterday: “If it wasn’t for my only surviving child, I would have killed myself.” Another victim was a nine-year-old girl who had stayed on at the party to see the bride after her parents had left, according to reports. A disproportionately large number of women and children were killed in the attack because it targeted henna night, a part of the celebration attended mainly by women and children. Turkish officials said the type of bomb used, which contained scraps of metal, was similar to those used in previous attacks on pro-Kurdish gatherings. ...

Conte: Chelsea must learn to kill matches

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says his side must learn to kill off matches quicker following their 3-2 League Cup win over Bristol Rovers. Michy Batshuayi scored two goals either side of a Victor Moses strike at Stamford Bridge to send the home side into the third round, but they were given a fright when the visitors twice halved a two-goal deficit through Peter Hartley and an Ellis Harrison penalty. The victory is Conte's third in competitive matches as Chelsea boss, following 2-1 wins over West Ham and Watford in the Premier League - both of which came about thanks to late goals from Diego Costa. And the former Italy boss wants his players to become more ruthless in their approach in order to prevent similarly nervy encounters in future. "These games are very tough," he told BBC Radio London Sport. "When you dominate the game, you must kill the game. In this case, we didn't do this. "It's a pity because when you're playing very well, creating a lot...

Welcome to EagleWatch

Search This Blog