Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has given up his original plan to fly to the US and visit President Joe Biden this year due to busy schedules on the US side and intends to take the tour early next year, three sources close to the matter asserted. Another reason is the quick spread of the new coronavirus variant OMICRON as well as the US political circumstance. OMICRON has been spreading rapidly in the United States. Prime Minister Kishida is contemplating rescheduling the meeting after the new year, NHK said, without referring to sources for its information. Before taking office in October, Kishida has made it clear he wants to host a summit conference with President Joe Biden as fast as possible to enhance ties, but the US administration’s emphasis on the passage of a large-scale social bill made it tough. Kishida now intends to travel to the United States sometime between the new year and January 17, when the typical session of parliament will likely meet, but it could be postponed to February or even later, the administration and ruling party sources announced this week.
Japan to Bar New Foreign Arrivals Over Virus Variant: PM
One of the sources explained that the delay in Prime Minister Kishida’s US visit will likely have a minor effect on bilateral relations as the Prime Minister already convened with Joe Biden briefly on the sidelines of the COP26 United Nations climate meeting in Glasgow the previous month, deciding to convene formally by the end of the year to discuss problems which are of mutual concern, the Chinese and Japanese media reported during the conference. The tour seems to be delayed due to different reasons. Reportedly, in January the two powerful leaders will meet to discuss all the issues they have concerns about and intensify the ties between the two nations.
