In his first Diet speech since Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday expressed his eagerness to arrange a summit talk with Trump "as soon as possible," vowing to make what he called an "unwavering" Japan-U.S. alliance even stronger.
Speaking to a Lower House plenary session, Abe also said Japan will continue efforts to persuade the U.S. to get on board with the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement, which Trump repeatedly branded as harmful to the U.S. economy during his bombastic campaign.
But the possibility is slim that Abe will be able to convince the new U.S. president to change his mind.
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