Japan-United States of America Relations
Japan-U.S. Summit Telephone Talk
February 14, 2018
On February 14, commencing at shortly after 10 p.m. for approximately one hour and 15 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, held a telephone talk with the Honorable Donald Trump, President of the United States of America. The overview of the telephone talk is as follows.
- On the basis of the recent visit to Japan by the Honorable Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States, and his and Prime Minister Abe’s attendance at the opening ceremony for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, the two leaders analyzed cooperation mainly regarding North Korea between Japan and the United States, as well as among Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) from every angle, and discussed future responses to take.
- Prime Minister Abe said that it was extremely significant that a powerful message by closely coordinating with the Vice President on the occasion of his visit to Japan and at PyeongChang was issued.
- The two leaders confirmed that they will continue to apply maximum pressure on North Korea, and also that it will not be possible to hold a meaningful dialogue with North Korea without the premise of complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization. Prime Minister Abe and President Trump also exchanged views on economic relations. They shared the recognition that productive dialogue is taking place between Deputy Prime Minister Aso and Vice President Pence, that over the past year Japanese companies have announced direct investments that would create 25,000 jobs in the United States, and that it is hoped that investments by Japanese companies will further increase as a result of the Trump Administration’s tax reforms.