JAKARTA - US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Japan on Tuesday, as part of a short visit ahead of the US-China leaders' summit in Beijing this weekend.
The visit, which comes ahead of US President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing starting Thursday, gives Bessent and Japanese officials an opportunity to discuss a number of issues related to China such as critical minerals and Beijing's trade restrictions.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference Monday the government "hopes there will be productive talks that further strengthen Japan-US relations and cooperation on various global issues".
Bessent is also scheduled to hold discussions with Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama.
Trump's chief economic adviser wrote on social media that his third visit to Japan since taking office would include "discussions on the US-Japan economic relationship."
He also said he would visit South Korea on Wednesday to meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Seoul before attending the summit in Beijing.
Beijing has stepped up political and economic pressure on Tokyo following Takaichi's statement in parliament last November that an attack on Taiwan could trigger a response from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
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