Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expected to meet Trump on 17 November in New York

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulated US president-elect Donald Trump on his remarkable victory and expressed a desire to meet him soon. Abe reportedly told Trump that he is convinced "America will be made even greater" under his leadership.

Over a call that lasted for about 20 minutes, the prime minister told Trump that he would meet him in New York next week, if possible, Japan Times quoted a senior government official as telling reporters on Thursday (10 November). Welcoming Abe's proposal, Trump assured him he would adjust his schedule to meet the prime minister, possibly on 17 November.

Abe is reportedly expected to visit New York before attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Peru next week.

During his conversation with the newly elected US president, Abe emphasised on establishing peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. He also termed the Japan-US alliance "indispensable" in bringing peace and stability in the region, the official added.

Briefing the media on Trump's response, the Tokyo official said he praised Abe's economic policy achievements and said he was looking forward to working with its Asian ally to "further strengthen the great partnership" between them. However, during election campaigning, Trump had been critical of US-Japan trade ties as well as military alliance.

Meanwhile, a senior official at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly predicted that Trump would take a long time, compared to his predecessors to build his administration. "The transition usually takes between six to 12 months, but this time it may take longer," Reuters quoted Tetsuya Otsuru as saying during a speech in Tokyo on Thursday. "We want to safeguard our alliance with the US during the transition," he added.