TOKYO — U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Japan’s newly appointed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss trade and regional security, a week after she became Japan’s first female leader and pledged to speed up the country’s military buildup.
Sources familiar with the meeting said Takaichi is expected to present a $550-billion investment package that includes expanded cooperation in shipbuilding and technology. She is also likely to announce additional purchases of U.S. pickup trucks, soybeans, and natural gas as part of efforts to strengthen trade relations.
Trump has long urged Japan to spend more on its defense amid growing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the region. However, officials said Takaichi is unlikely to go beyond Japan’s existing defense spending target of 2 percent of its GDP.
The U.S. president met Japan’s emperor on Monday and will hold summit talks with Takaichi at the Akasaka Palace, followed by a working lunch. Trump was last received at the same palace in 2019 for talks with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022.
“I look forward to meeting the new prime minister,” Trump told reporters during his flight from Malaysia, where he attended the ASEAN summit. “I hear phenomenal things. She was a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend.”
During their meeting, Takaichi plans to give Trump one of Abe’s golf clubs in a symbolic gesture recalling the friendship between Abe and Trump, according to a source familiar with the arrangements.
Analysts say building a close relationship with Trump could strengthen Takaichi’s political standing at home. Although her approval ratings have risen since taking office, her coalition remains two votes short of a majority in the lower house of parliament.
On Tuesday afternoon, Trump is scheduled to visit the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, home to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. Takaichi is expected to accompany him, local media reported.
Before leaving for South Korea on Wednesday, Trump will meet with business leaders in Tokyo. He is expected to continue discussions on trade, including a possible deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his next stop.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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