‘Let’s do lunch’ Michelle Obama says to Japanese PM on Tokyo visit

Michelle Obama suggested a lunch date with Shinzo Abe at his wife’s restaurant on Thursday, offering the Japanese prime minister a place at her table next time she is in town.

The US first lady gave a ringing endorsement of Akie Abe’s “izakaya” – a traditional Japanese-style pub – after eating there with her opposite number on the second day of her visit to Tokyo.

“Prime minister, first of all, your wife is an amazing woman,” said Obama, as she met Abe at his office. “And the restaurant is good, so you have to try it. Maybe the next time I come to visit, you can join us.”

In a good-natured exchange at Abe’s office, he revealed: “Actually I’ve never been to the restaurant”.

Earlier in the day Obama, who is in Japan to launch the “Let Girls Learn” initiative,told an audience there was a global “crisis” that left 62 million girls without the chance of an education.

“We often focus on the economic barriers girls face – school fees or uniforms, or how they live miles from the nearest school and have no safe transportation, or how the school in their community doesn’t have bathroom facilities for girls,” she said.