Japan’s new PM to visit White House in February

WASHINGTON (AP) Ñ The United States on Friday invited Japan’s new prime minister to the White House next month, as the Asian nation’s top diplomat signaled the government’s intent to strengthen security ties with the US.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conservative government took power last month after a sweeping election victory and faces stiff challenges in reviving a stagnant economy and managing an escalating dispute with China over an island chain in the East China Sea.

Abe is eager to make an early trip to Washington to demonstrate the US alliance is the cornerstone of his foreign policy, and wants Japan to be a bigger player on the global stage.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the White House invitation for the third week in February after meeting Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida at the State Department, and she described the US relationship with Tokyo in similar terms.