Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru is planning to visit the United States in January for talks with US President-elect Donald Trump.

According to Japanese government officials, Trump's aides have conveyed that he would be willing to meet Ishiba in mid-January, before the presidential inauguration in Washington on January 20.

The move came as Japan was seeking to arrange their meeting in February as many within the government thought that formal bilateral talks after Trump's inauguration were preferable.

Japanese officials are eyeing to have Ishiba visit the United States before the regular parliamentary session begins in late January.