Outgoing Japan PM Fumio Kishida may meet Joe Biden in US next month, says report

Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is finalising plans to visit the US in late September for the UN General Assembly and a possible meeting with President Joe Biden, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Saturday.

The visit may take place for several days starting on September 22, the report said, citing multiple government sources it did not identify.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to calls and requests for comment by Reuters.

Kishida on Wednesday dropped out of the leadership race for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), meaning he will step down as prime minister when his term as party leader ends in late September.

The date of the LDP election is not yet set. It could be as early as September 20, in which case Kishida would likely address the General Assembly after Japan’s parliament, where the LDP has a majority, has chosen his replacement as prime minister, according to the Yomiuri.

Some in the Japanese government think Kishida’s successor should not develop close ties with Biden, the newspaper said.

Biden, who dropped out of November’s US presidential election, was replaced as the Democratic Party nominee last month by Vice President Kamala Harris. She faces the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump.