The News
Donald Trump welcomed Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to the White house Friday as Tokyo’s leader aimed to forge close ties to the US president.
Trump said the two leaders discussed how to address “Chinese economic aggression” and added that Tokyo will import record levels of natural gas in the near future.
Trump also said that the Japanese company Nippon Steel will not buy US Steel, but will instead invest in the Pittsburgh steelmaker.
Ishiba praised the US president, saying he was inspired by the “undaunted presence” of Trump raising his fist after surviving an assassination attempt in July.
Since returning to the White House, Trump had largely been silent on Japan, and officials in Tokyo spent the last few months scrambling to prepare Ishiba in a series of “Trump countermeasures meetings,” The Japan Times reported.
The leaders’ talks Friday were expected to focus on economic issues, Trump’s concerns about Japan’s defense spending, curbing China’s threat to regional security, and further AI cooperation.
Whether Ishiba can make a personal connection with Trump could determine US-Japan relations, although The Economist noted that Ishiba lacks the charm and golf skills of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe, whose 2016 gift of a gold-plated golf club to Trump sparked a warm relationship.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted talks with Tokyo’s foreign minister on his first full day on the job last month, and a Japanese spokesperson told reporters the two officials agreed to “elevate the US-Japan alliance to new heights.”