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President Donald Trump said the US-Japan alliance was at its “strongest level” as he kicked off a meeting on trade and investment with the country’s new leader Sanae Takaichi.
On the second leg of a weeklong Asian trip, Trump said relations with Washington’s most important regional ally would strengthen further as he congratulated Takaichi on becoming Japan’s first female prime minister.
Speaking in front of Takaichi before their meeting at Akasaka Palace, the US president said it was an honour to meet the Japanese leader whose election as the first female prime minister was a “big deal”.
“This will be a relationship that will be stronger than ever before,” Trump said as he recalled that the late prime minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he enjoyed close ties, had told him a lot about her. An arch conservative who was an acolyte of Abe, Takaichi took office last week.
“I know from Shinzo and others, you will be one of the great prime ministers,” Trump said. “You’re going to do a fantastic job and we’re going to have a fantastic relationship.”
The leaders signed two agreements, including one that called on each government to “take further steps for a new golden age” for the US-Japan security alliance. The second agreement is aimed at securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths, as well as investing in their mining and processing, as part of a push to reduce the countries’ reliance on China.
In welcoming Trump to Japan, Takaichi thanked him for his “enduring friendship” with Abe before praising Trump for his recent efforts to achieve a peace deal in Gaza and his role in securing a ceasefire deal between Thailand and Cambodia. He was in Malaysia for the signing of the deal on Sunday.
“Prime Minister Abe often told me about your dynamic diplomacy,” Takaichi said. “In such a short period of time, the world started to enjoy more peace on the ground . . . I myself was so impressed and inspired by you Mr President.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said later that Takaichi had told Trump she would nominate him for the Nobel peace prize, making her the latest world leader to seek favour with the US president by putting him forward for an award that he has stressed he wants.
Trump is visiting Tokyo months after he imposed tariffs of 25 per cent on Japan — later reduced to 15 per cent in return for investment in the US — and the Pentagon increased pressure on Tokyo to boost its defence spending to lower the burden on Washington.
In her maiden speech to parliament last week, Takaichi said she would bring forward Japan’s timeline for boosting defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP by at least a year — a move welcomed by the US.
Trump said he appreciated that Japan was raising its military capacity “very substantially” and said the country had placed orders for “a very large amount of new military equipment” without providing any details.
Takaichi told Trump that she was “determined to restore dynamic Japan’s diplomacy” and was ready “to promote further collaboration with you and with the US towards our shared goal of achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
Trump is visiting Japan as part of an Asia tour that will conclude in South Korea where he will meet President Lee Jae-myung, attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and hold a high-stakes summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday.
