US President Donald Trump has officially announced a series of visits to Asia later this month. In Japan, he is scheduled to meet the new prime minister, who is set to be elected on Tuesday.

Trump told reporters on Monday: "I'll be in Malaysia, I'll be in Japan, I'll be in a couple of others. We'll be sort of doing a little bit of a tour."

Trump will first attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, meeting in Malaysia, which begins this coming Sunday.

Following that, he is expected to stop in Japan on Monday for about three days. In addition to meeting with Japan's new leader, he plans to give a speech to US service members at a US naval base in Yokosuka, near Tokyo.

Trump will then head to South Korea while it hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, gathering at the end of the month.

He is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping there. Trump said the situation in Taiwan will be one of the issues they discuss.

Trump mentioned that he plans to visit China sometime "fairly early" next year, and said the two countries are going to have a "very good relationship."

Source - NHK