Media: Trump may visit Japan twice in 2019

Tokyo hopes to welcome US President Donald Trump twice in just two months next year, as a way to create a friendly atmosphere ahead of "tough, going-concrete" bilateral trade talks, analysts say.

The Japanese government is eyeing a Trump visit as a state guest after Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito's planned accession on May 1, Kyodo News said, and before attending June's G20 meetings in Osaka.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government is seeking a meeting between the new emperor and Trump, in a move that could make the US president the first foreign leader to meet with him, Kyodo cited sources as saying.