Japan Denies WSJ Report on Trump-Takaichi Phone Talks

Tokyo, Nov. 27 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on Thursday denied a Wall Street Journal report claiming that U.S. President Donald Trump advised Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae not to provoke China over Taiwan.

"There is no such fact," Kihara told a press conference, adding that the government has lodged a protest with the U.S. newspaper.

According to the WSJ report based on information from Japanese and U.S. officials, Trump advised Takaichi in a phone meeting to temper her tone on the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty, which Kihara said was incorrect.

However, the Japanese government has not called on the paper to retract the article.

The report said that, while urging a calmer tone on the matter, Trump did not urge Takaichi to walk back her parliamentary remark on Taiwan that has angered Beijing. Kihara did not address this point.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]