Japan’s Takaichi seeks meeting with Trump as Washington reaches toward China and North Korea

Sanae Takaichi is trying to arrange a meeting with Donald Trump to address a growing list of disputes and risks involving China, North Korea and the International Criminal Court, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported.

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President Trump held three historic summits with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un during his first term that stabilized the Korean Peninsula.

The Japanese prime minister is seeking contact with Trump during international meetings this year, including a possible meeting before a U.S.-China summit scheduled for this month. A recent meeting in Washington between Japan’s foreign ministry vice minister Takehiro Funakoshi and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau was also viewed as an effort to coordinate a possible meeting between the two leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month. Other opportunities include the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November and the G20 summit in Florida in December.

Tokyo is especially interested in discussing China. Japan and China have remained in serious conflict since Takaichi said last October that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces could intervene in a Taiwan contingency. Japanese officials are concerned about Chinese restrictions on supply chains, including rare earths, and expanded military activity in the East and South China seas. If Trump moves closer to Beijing to showcase diplomatic achievements before November’s midterm elections, Japan fears it could suffer negative consequences.

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U.S. policy toward North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong Un without preconditions.

Trump’s recent comments about a possible summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are another issue. A White House official said U.S. policy toward North Korea had not changed and that Trump remained open to talks with Kim without preconditions. Japan worries that nuclear negotiations could weaken the principle of nuclear nonproliferation.

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I am deeply regretful.

The ICC sanctions issue has also become a source of friction. Japan is the court’s largest contributor, and its president, Tomoko Akane, is Japanese. The United States has sanctioned Akane, other ICC judges and staff, calling the court “a corrupt and seriously politicized supranational tribunal.” Takaichi said last month that she was “deeply regretful” about the sanctions and would continue communicating with the United States and other countries. Nikkei said the two governments were exploring ways for the leaders to meet, even briefly and without being bound by a formal summit format.

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A corrupt and seriously politicized supranational tribunal.