United States President Donald Trump has met Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in Tokyo, welcoming her pledge to accelerate a military buildup and signing deals on trade and critical minerals.
Trump on Tuesday lavished praise on Takaichi, saying she would be a “great” leader, while the prime minister said she planned to nominate the US president for a Nobel Peace Prize, according to the White House.
Takaichi – a close ally of Trump’s friend and golfing partner, late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – is also expected to offer a package of US investments under a $550bn deal agreed on this year, the Reuters news agency reported.
This included shipbuilding and increased purchases of US soya beans, natural gas and pick-up trucks, the agency reported, citing sources familiar with the talks.
Those gestures may temper any Trump demands for Tokyo to spend more on defending islands from an increasingly assertive China, which Takaichi sought to head off by pledging last week to fast-track plans to increase defence spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
“It’s a very strong handshake,” Trump said, as the pair posed for photos at the Akasaka Palace in downtown Tokyo.
“Everything I know from Shinzo and others, you will be one of the great prime ministers. I’d also like to congratulate you on being the first woman prime minister. It’s a big deal,” Trump told Takaichi as the pair sat down for discussions with their delegations.
Takaichi gifted Trump Abe’s putter, a golf bag signed by Japanese major winner Hideki Matsuyama, and a gold-leaf golf ball, according to photos posted on X by Trump’s assistant, Margo Martin.
The US president was last at the palace, an ornate residence built in a European style, in 2019 for talks with Abe, who was assassinated in 2022.
Deal on critical minerals
Trump also praised Japan’s efforts to buy more US defence equipment, while Takaichi said that Trump’s role in securing ceasefires between Cambodia and Thailand, and Israel and Palestinian armed groups were “unprecedented” achievements.
“In such a short period of time, the world started to enjoy more peace,” Takaichi told reporters through an interpreter.
“I, myself, was so impressed and inspired by you, Mr President,” Takaichi added.
The leaders then signed an agreement to support the supply of critical minerals and rare earths, as the countries seek to wean reliance off China’s chokehold on the materials, which are crucial for a wide range of products, from smartphones to fighter jets.
The White House, in a statement, said the objective of the deal was “to assist both countries in achieving resilience and security of critical minerals and rare earths supply chains”.
It added that the US and Japan “jointly identify projects of interest to address gaps in supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths, including derivative products such as permanent magnets, batteries, catalysts, and optical materials”.
Trump and Takaichi will later visit the US naval base in Yokosuka near Tokyo, which is home to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, part of the US military’s powerful presence in the region.
Trump will then meet business leaders in Tokyo, before travelling on Wednesday to South Korea. In talks there with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said he hopes to seal a trade war truce between the world’s two biggest economies.
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