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Abe: Japan-US alliance is beneficial both for Tokyo and Washington

TOKYO, January 8. /TASS/. Japan-US alliance is important not only for Japan but also for the United States, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in an interview with the national TV channel NHK.

"Japan-US alliance is the foundation of Japan's foreign policy in the field of security. The relations linking Japan and the US (are essential) not only for Japan, they are also very beneficial for the US," the Prime Minister said.

Speaking about the statement that Japan should pay more for its own security that was voiced by US President-elect Donald Trump during his campaign, Abe said that Tokyo "is making efforts in the field of defense, as the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region is becoming more difficult."

According to him, Japan plans to work with Trump in order to strengthen cooperation on the basis of trust relations.

The Prime Minister said he plans to hold another meeting with Trump as soon as possible but when he is already in the status of the US President.

"Trump has not officially taken office yet, so a specific agenda is yet to be determined. I would like to hold a meeting with him as soon as possible," Abe said, commenting on media reports that the meeting can take place a week after the inauguration of Trump.

On November 17, 2016, the Japanese Prime Minister became the first foreign leader to meet with US President-elect shortly after the election.

Speaking about US President-elect statement that he would withdraw the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TTP), Abe said that Japan "is not going to give it up (that agreement) and will continue to promote (its views) about the importance and value of the TTP."

During his election campaign Trump repeatedly stressed that Tokyo should spend more money on deployment of US military bases on its territory, which serve as the guarantor of security for Japan. The US President elect spoke negatively about the agreement on TTP.

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Shinzo Abe Donald Trump

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