U.S. vice president's visit to Japan being arranged for around Nov. 13: sources

[November 06, 2018]    TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government is working to arrange a visit to Japan by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence for around Nov. 13, two Japanese government sources said on Tuesday.

Vice President Mike Pence participates in a campaign rally for the Republican Senate candidate, Matt Rosendale in Bozeman, Montana, U.S., October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

During his visit, Pence will hold talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his deputy, Taro Aso, that are likely to center on diplomatic and security issues, the sources said on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.

Though officials said last month that trade would also be under discussion when Pence visited, this is now seen as unlikely since bilateral trade talks have been pushed back to after the beginning of next year.

The visit will be the first to close ally Japan by a senior U.S. official after Tuesday's mid-term elections.

Pence will be stopping in Japan on a visit to Asia for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum being held in Papua New Guinea, in place of U.S. President Donald Trump.

(Reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto; Writing by Elaine Lies; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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