Japan and the US are key defence allies and each other's leading foreign investors
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's 2nd top with a foreign leader since his go back to the White House.
Japan is one of the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.
Ishiba will be pushing for peace of mind on the significance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" program dangers trespassing on the countries' trade and defence ties.
"It would be wonderful if we could verify that we will interact for the development this area and the world and for peace," Ishiba informed press reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the journey.
Japan's Nikkei newspaper said Thursday the pair will release a joint declaration, which might vow to construct a "golden era" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "brand-new heights".
Ishiba is expected to tell Trump that Japan will increase defence purchases from the United States, the Nikkei said.
Ishiba may likewise propose importing more US natural gas-- chiming with Trump's plan to "drill, baby, drill" while enhancing energy security for resource-poor Japan.
Since Japan has cut its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "desperately requires to open new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told AFP.
"The objective is to present a win-win value proposal from Ishiba to the president," she said.
Trump will fulfill Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- simply days after a joint interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president sparked uproar with a proposal to take control of the .
The Japan summit might be less startling, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".
- Taiwan hazard -
Ishiba has stressed the importance of US defence ties, indicating threats on Japan's doorstep such as China pushing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
Tokyo needs to "continue to protect the US dedication to the region, to avoid a power vacuum leading to regional instability", Ishiba recently told parliament.
Trump and Ishiba are expected to affirm the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese media said.
That would echo joint declarations made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.
Focusing on this point is "exceptionally crucial" due to the fact that Japan and the United States need to collaborate to avoid a prospective crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a worldwide relations expert at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.
As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the burden of defence expenses, bybio.co however, there are issues Trump might offer less money and push Japan to do more, Smith said.
"That's where ... the Ishiba-Trump relationship might get a bit sticky," she said.
- After Abe -
Also causing jitters is Trump's willingness to slap trade tariffs on major trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has postponed procedures against the latter 2 countries pending talks.
"I hope Ishiba will reveal him there are other methods to attain financial security," such as complying on technology, Shiraishi informed AFP.
One example is the Stargate drive, announced after Trump's January inauguration, elearnportal.science to invest as much as $500 billion in AI facilities in the United States, led by Japanese tech investment behemoth SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.
Reports said the leaders could also go over Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid to purchase US Steel, which Biden obstructed on nationwide security premises.
Japan and the United States are each other's top foreign investors, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will settle on developing an investment-friendly environment.
During his very first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe delighted in warm relations.
As president-elect in December, Trump likewise hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a dinner with Melania Trump at their Florida house.
Trump built a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith believes he had a "real fondness".
He will likely "see Ishiba through a various lens", said Smith, oke.zone and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the personal".
Ishiba, 68, will not be the very first Japanese VIP to meet the 78-year-old Trump personally because he took office-- a distinction held by SoftBank creator Masayoshi Son.
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Japan pM Heads to uS For Trump Summit
Ahmad Fairbridge edited this page 2025-02-12 22:13:02 +08:00