Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Monday to build a "relationship of mutual trust" with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during their scheduled meeting in New York later this week, which will be a key opportunity to calibrate the new American leader's stance toward Japan.
Earlier Monday, Abe dispatched his special adviser, Katsuyuki Kawai, to Washington for a high-ranking meeting with Trump's close aides to collect up-to-date information on the policies and personnel choices of the incoming administration.
Speaking to reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport, Kawai expressed hope that his visit will "lay the groundwork" for a successful Abe-Trump meeting slated for Thursday.
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