Japan Premier, Clinton to Meet
Japan’s new prime minister, Ryutaro Hashimoto, will meet with President Clinton in Los Angeles on Feb. 23, White House officials said Thursday.
The meeting will be the first between the two leaders since Hashimoto took office last month. U.S. officials said they consider it encouraging that Hashimoto asked for the session and is willing to fly across the Pacific for it.
Clinton has scheduled a state visit to Japan in April, but Hashimoto asked for a more informal meeting first, they said. “Prime Minister Hashimoto expressed a desire to establish a personal relationship with President Clinton before the state visit,” one official said.
The two men have met before, when Hashimoto was his country’s chief trade negotiator, but never “one-on-one,” he said. Hashimoto had a reputation as a tough bargainer and a nationalist during his years as trade negotiator.
Clinton had been scheduled to visit Japan in November but postponed the trip when a budget deadlock with Congress forced the federal government to shut down temporarily.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
