Photo/Illutration Shigeru Ishiba enters the prime minister’s office in Tokyo at 8:31 a.m. on Jan. 30. (Takeshi Iwashita)

The first meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and new U.S. President Donald Trump is being planned for Feb. 7 in Washington, according to sources.

The Japanese and U.S. governments are finalizing the schedule of the summit.

Ishiba and Trump are expected to discuss strengthening cooperation in national security and the economy.

Several sources related to the Japanese and U.S. governments said on Jan. 29 that Ishiba will convey his intention to Trump that Japan will share its responsibilities as an ally and play its corresponding role to strengthen a "free and open Indo-Pacific." 

The vow for closer ties comes as China ratchets up its provocative activities in the South China Sea and East China Sea. 

Ishiba aims to build a personal relationship and trust with the new president and to agree on further deepening the Japan-U.S. alliance, sources said.

Trump, who advocates for an “America First” policy, may ask for higher tariffs on Japanese imports and a further increase in defense spending at the meeting.

So, Ishiba plans to emphasize the creation of jobs in the United States by Japanese companies and his nation's increase in defense spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product. 

Mindful of Trump's announcement that he will increase fossil fuel production, some lawmakers within the government have come up with the idea to expand imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States.

Another focus of the meeting will be if Ishiba can reaffirm that Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, which stipulates the U.S. obligation to defend Japan, applies to the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.

“I would like to share my understanding with the U.S. president on various issues, including national security and the economy, to confirm further cooperation, and to take the Japan-U.S. alliance to a higher level,” Ishiba said while responding to questions at the Diet plenary session on Jan. 28.

Ishiba has been seeking a meeting with the president-elect since before Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.

In November, Ishiba and the Trump camp worked toward making a stopover in the United States on Ishiba’s way back from South America, where he had attended the Group of 20 summit.

However, the meeting was postponed due to circumstances on Trump’s side. In December, Trump's camp contacted the Japanese government and said that Trump would be available in mid-January. However, the two sides were unable to arrange a meeting at that time.

There have been strong voices within the government that the two leaders should secure a time after Trump’s inauguration and hold a formal summit. The Japanese government has been working toward a visit to the United States in the first half of February since Trump’s inauguration.

(This article was written by Shino Matsuyama and Taro Kotegawa.)