United States: US President Donald Trump heaped praise on Japan’s first woman premier, Sanae Takaichi, in Tokyo on Tuesday, lauding her vow to speed up a military build-up and signing deals on trade and rare earths.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Takaichi, an ally of Trump’s friend and golf partner, the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, added that she would work to submit a nomination for Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
She is also likely to dangle the prospect of a souped-up package of American investments in return for a $550-billion deal this year, as well as shipbuilding and more purchases of US soybeans, natural gas, and pickup trucks, people briefed on the talks said.
Those gestures may soften any Trump demands for Tokyo to contribute more towards defending islands from an ever bolder China, which Takaichi had sought to pre-empt last week by pledging that Tokyo would fast-track plans to raise defence spending to 2% of GDP.
“It’s a very strong handshake,” Trump said, as the two were seen posing for photos at the Akasaka Palace in downtown Tokyo.
“From everything I know, you’ll be one of the great prime ministers.” I would also like to congratulate you on becoming the first woman prime minister. That’s a big thing,” Trump told Takaichi as the two sat down along with their delegations for talks.
Takaichi presented Trump with Abe’s putter and bag, autographed by Japanese major winner Hideki Matsuyama, as photos posted on X by Trump’s assistant Margo Martin showed.
Deal on critical minerals signed.
Trump also welcomed Japan’s increasing purchase of US defence equipment, and Takaichi said Trump’s work to secure ceasefires in Cambodia between Cambodia and Thailand, and Israel and Palestinian militants, was an “unprecedented” achievement.
Takaichi joined other world leaders to praise Trump for the Peace Prize he has claimed for years that he deserves.
The leaders also signed an agreement to help bolster the supply of critical minerals and rare earths, which both countries are looking to move away from China’s powerful grip on these resources that are essential for everything from smartphones to fighter jets.
Under the agreement, Signet and DOD will collaborate over the next six months to identify projects of mutual interest in areas such as magnets and batteries, and take steps together to produce stockpiles of essential minerals, among other measures.
Trump last visited the palace, an ornate, European-style building, in 2019 for talks with Abe, who was assassinated in 2022.
The American leader got the royal treatment upon his arrival on Monday, when he had an audience with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace.
Visit the US naval base.
Takaichi’s gifts to Trump and obsessive mentions of Abe are intended to stir memories of their close relationship, hours spent golfing boxed off in the grounds of a course during his first term. Abe was assassinated in 2022, when a trial of his attacker also happened to open in the western city of Nun in 2018.
A close relationship with the leader of that country’s main security and economic partner could also help Takaichi boost her fragile political standing in Japan.
While she and her coalition government have enjoyed a surge in popularity since becoming prime minister, they are two votes short of a majority in the parliament’s lower house.
Trump and Takaichi will visit the US naval base in Yokosuka near Tokyo, where they will see the aircraft carrier USS George Washington — a symbol of America’s mighty footprint in the region.
He will then sit down with business chiefs in Tokyo, before heading on Wednesday to South Korea. During meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said he wants to sign an end-of-war declaration in the world’s two biggest economies.
