U.S. trip will show Japan-U.S. ties are rock solid - PM Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday his trip to the United States this week would be important to show that his country's ties with the U.S. are strong.

"I would like to confirm that Japan-U.S. relations are now even more rock solid than before, and this will be a very important opportunity to demonstrate that to the world," Kishida told reporters ahead of his flight to Washington later in the day.