Ishiba will consider visiting US to meet president-elect, report says

New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he is considering visiting the United States to meet the president-elect before the country’s inauguration in January, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported on Sunday.

“As prime minister of Japan, an ally of the US, it is necessary for me to have a relationship (with the president-elect) before the inauguration in January next year,” he said, according to Yomiuri, in an interview that took place Saturday.

The US is due to hold its presidential elections on November 5, with Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump facing Democratic rival and current Vice President Kamala Harris in what is expected to be a tight race.