SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's planned meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has been postponed due to legal restrictions.
"We are considering holding a meeting as soon as possible at a time that is most convenient for both sides," Ishiba said on Saturday while attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Peru.
The Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from conducting diplomatic negotiations with foreign governments, barred the initially proposed meeting following Ishiba and Trump's Nov. 7 phone conversation.
The delay comes despite Tokyo's eagerness to establish early connections with the incoming administration following Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential election.
Sources said Trump's team, led by incoming Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, is taking a stricter approach to pre-inauguration diplomatic engagements compared to previous transitions, with all foreign leader meetings suspended until after January.
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