Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump held their first telephone talks on Thursday, following the Republican's stunning victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris, as the Japanese leader looks to build up a relationship with Trump before he officially takes office in January.
The call lasted about five minutes, with Ishiba telling reporters he had congratulated the incoming leader on his victory and the two allied leaders agreeing to meet soon to “elevate the Japan-U.S. alliance to an even higher level.”
"This was my first one-on-one conversation with him, but it felt friendly. I had the impression that we could speak openly and candidly,” Ishiba said, adding that the meeting concluded with both parties saying that they looked forward to “doing good work together.”
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