Abe to visit US on April 17-18: White House

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WASHINGTON: The White House said on Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was to visit the United States on April 17-18 on issues including the Korean Peninsula and trade.

US President Donald Trump and Abe will meet at Trump’s Florida resort Mar-a-Lago to discuss the campaign to maintain maximum pressure on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) ahead of the planned meeting between Trump and the DPRK’s top leader Kim Jong Un, said the White House in a statement.

Trump and Abe, in their third summit meeting, will also “explore ways to expand fair and reciprocal trade and investment ties between the United States and Japan,” according to the statement.

Tension on the Korean Peninsula has thawed in recent months with Seoul and Pyongyang agreeing to hold a summit on April 27, the first meeting between the leaders of the two sides in 11 years.

In March, Trump and Kim agreed to meet, yet the timing and place of the high-profile gathering has not been announced yet. Amid the rapport, Washington still pledged to maintain its maximum pressure on Pyongyang, economically and diplomatically.