Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Saturday that a face-to-face meeting he had sought with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump would not go ahead. Ishiba told reporters in Lima, Peru, that Trump's camp explained that meetings with world leaders before the inauguration were restricted under the Logan Act.

Chinese president Xi Jinping has told Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba that he hopes Japan will “properly” handle issues such as history and Taiwan after Tokyo expressed concerns about Beijing’s “increasingly aggressive military manoeuvres”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed to strengthen communication at all levels during their first meeting since the Japanese leader took office in October.

LIMA (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to foster "mutually beneficial" and "stable" relations in their first in-person talks.

Conservatives urge Ishiba to wait until his domestic political position stabilises, while others say avoiding Trump could pose greater risks.

Shigeru Ishiba's scandal-tarnished coalition lost its parliamentary majority in a lower house election late last month.