A key foreign policy aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was to begin a three-day visit to Washington on Monday, where he plans to meet the newly appointed national security adviser, the government said.
Shotaro Yachi, who heads the secretariat of the Japanese National Security Council, is likely to meet Tuesday with H.R. McMaster. They agreed by telephone last week to closely coordinate moves on security issues related to the bilateral alliance, Tokyo's top spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said.
U.S. President Donald Trump appointed McMaster, a lieutenant-general in the U.S. Army, on Feb. 20 to the position vacated by Michael Flynn, who came under fire his misrepresenting the nature of his discussions with Russian contacts during the U.S. presidential election about U.S. economic sanctions targeted at Moscow and resigned.