TOKYO, Nov 7, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Thursday he had held a phone call with US president-elect Donald Trump and "in a nutshell, he was very friendly".

Ishiba, who took office just over a month ago, said the pair had agreed to strengthen the Japan-US alliance and hoped to organise a face-to-face meeting "as soon as possible".

"I had the impression that he is the kind of person I will be able to talk to candidly," he added.

Ishiba congratulated Trump on Wednesday evening for his election victory, expressing hope to "work closely with Mr Trump to take the Japan-US alliance and Japan-US relationship to new heights".

Japan and the United States are each other's top foreign investors, and 54,000 US military personnel are stationed in Japan, mostly in the southern region of Okinawa.

"Regarding how to manage the burden of strengthening the Japan-US alliance, the different aspects include financing, capability, and operations," Ishiba said Thursday.

"So I would like to hold active discussions on the strengthening of the Japan-US alliance from various standpoints including specific equipment, operations and integration, not just money."

When Trump last won a US election in 2016, then-prime minister Shinzo Abe flew to New York to chat with the president-elect, becoming the first foreign leader to meet Trump at his Manhattan skyscraper.

Japanese media said Ishiba could potentially arrange a trip to the United States around the time he visits Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this month.

Ishiba is also hoping to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit in Peru from November 10-16.

Prime Minister Ishiba led his ruling coalition to a disastrous loss of its majority in snap elections on October 27.

He is expected to lead a minority government or widen the coalition to include other parties.