Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told the Lower House Budget Committee on Friday that, when he meets with U.S. President Donald Trump, he will get confirmation that Japan’s security treaty with the United States covers the defense of the Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by China.

Ishiba also said he intends to seek assistance from Trump in resolving the issue of Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea decades ago.

“We have to confirm that the territorial issue and the abduction issue are both national sovereignty issues,” Ishiba said at the committee's first session.

With an eye toward his first meeting with Trump, which will most likely take place on Feb. 7 in Washington, Ishiba also emphasized the mutual benefits of economic cooperation and continued Japanese investment in the U.S., including in the energy sector, which helps create American jobs.

“Over the past five years, Japan has invested more in the United States than any other country in the world. Many companies have set up operations there, and much employment has been created,” Ishiba said.

“I think there are things we should be requesting of the United States in terms of ensuring a stable energy supply,” Ishiba added.

Cybersecurity was another area of concern discussed during the meeting, amid ongoing parliamentary debate on a bill to guard against cyber threats.

“Japan is vulnerable to cyberattacks and the development of legislation in this area has been very slow,” Ishiba said, adding that new laws must not harm freedom of expression or conflict with the nation's defense policy.

Ishiba also addressed questions about corporate political donations and regional revitalization.

The LDP introduced two pieces of legislation Friday that it says would tighten rules and increase transparency on such donations, but not eliminate them.

The first bill would require corporate political donations over ¥10 million (about $64,600) a year to be made public. The second would require corporations and organizations that purchase tickets for political fundraising parties to confirm they will respect the wishes of their labor unions.

The latter bill in particular would directly impact the CDP and the Democratic Party for the People, as both receive a great deal of support from the Rengo trade union federation.

CDP Executive Deputy President Akira Nagatsuma tied corporate political donations to the issue of fixed-term, part-time or temporary employment, saying it’s often the policy of industries that use such "nonregular" workers to purchase tickets to LDP political fundraising events.

“We must definitely ban corporate donations,” Nagatsuma said.

However, the LDP’s position is that there’s no reason to prohibit contributions by corporations and other organizations, and that they are a form of free speech.

On regional revitalization, Ishiba said that the key to success in bringing people to depopulated regions was less about new civil engineering projects and more about boosting cooperation between local universities and local businesses so that younger people, and women in particular, will choose to live in a less-populated area rather than relocate to a major city.