Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will travel to San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum later this week, the government confirmed Tuesday, with it expected he will meet with several world leaders while there.
During his five-day trip starting Wednesday, Kishida is arranging bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and other counterparts, sources familiar with the premier's itinerary said.
If they meet, Kishida and Xi are expected to exchange views on the multiple releases of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that began in August, which prompted China to impose a blanket import ban on Japanese seafood, the sources added.
The last time Kishida and Xi held in-person talks was in November 2022, when they took part in an APEC summit in Bangkok.
On the sidelines of this year's APEC gathering, Kishida is also scheduled to participate in a summit with countries involved in a U.S.-led economic cooperation initiative, known as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said.
Kishida, meanwhile, is set to visit Stanford University with Yoon on Friday to join a panel discussion on advanced scientific technology, the top government spokesman said.
