Outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba departed from Tokyo's Haneda Airport on a government plane on Tuesday to attend the ongoing U.N. General Assembly session in New York.

Ishiba is scheduled to deliver a speech at the General Debate of the session on Tuesday evening in New York, calling for U.N. reform.



During his trip, Ishiba is also seeking to hold a brief meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Over the past year, I've considerably developed a cooperative relationship with President Trump," Ishiba told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office before departing. "I'd like to give the president a resignation greeting, and will pass on our cooperation to my successor."

Ishiba will be the first Japanese prime minister to join the General Debate in two years. Last year, his predecessor, Fumio Kishida, skipped it ahead of stepping down.

In his address to the General Assembly, Ishiba is expected to call for expanding U.N. Security Council membership, arguing that the United Nations has been unable to respond adequately to situations such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He is also expected to mention Japan's path as a peaceful nation since the end of World War II, as he is eyeing a statement marking the 80th anniversary of the war's end.

"In the 80th year since the foundation of the United Nations, I'd like to review the past 80 years and state that now is the time to reform the Security Council," Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo.

While in the United States, Ishiba is also planning to hold talks each with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and leaders from France, Finland and other countries.

He will hold a news conference on Wednesday morning in New York before arriving back in Japan on Thursday afternoon.