Ex-PM Abe's interpreter set to attend Ishiba's 1st summit with Trump

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A Japanese Foreign Ministry official, who served as an English interpreter for the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is set to take on the same role during Shigeru Ishiba's first in-person summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, sources close to the matter said Friday.

Sunao Takao, currently director of the Status of U.S. Forces Agreement Division, is believed to be a favorite of Trump, who once referred to the senior Japanese government official as the "little prime minister."

It is unusual for a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official to act as an interpreter at a summit, but Takao, who accompanied Trump and Abe when they played golf, is expected to help Prime Miniter Ishiba facilitate communication with the U.S. leader.

Takao's interpretation was touted as "compact and easy to understand," a government official said, adding he was praised for contributing to Abe's close relationship with Trump. Takao interpreted for Ishiba during phone talks with Trump in November.

A Foreign Ministry official said Takao is "probably one of the few Japanese people that Mr. Trump remembers, and he is an important asset to the success" of Ishiba's planned summit in Washington on Friday.