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Japan and the US are essential 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 second summit with a foreign leader because his return to the White House.

Japan is among the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.

Ishiba will be pressing for reassurance on the value of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" program dangers intruding on the nations' trade and defence ties.

"It would be fantastic if we might affirm that we will interact for the advancement this area and the world and for peace," Ishiba informed reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the trip.

Japan's Nikkei newspaper said Thursday the pair will release a joint statement, which could vow to build a "golden era" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "brand-new heights".

Ishiba is expected to inform Trump that Japan will increase defence purchases from the United States, the Nikkei said.

Ishiba might also propose importing more US natural gas-- chiming with Trump's plan to "drill, baby, drill" while boosting energy security for resource-poor Japan.

Since Japan has actually cut its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "desperately needs to open brand-new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", thatswhathappened.wiki Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, informed AFP.

"The intent is to present a win-win worth proposition from Ishiba to the president," she said.

Trump will in Washington on Friday-- simply days after a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president sparked outcry with a proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip.

The Japan summit could be less startling, Smith said, akropolistravel.com as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan danger -

Ishiba has worried the significance 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 area, to prevent a power vacuum resulting in local instability", Ishiba recently informed parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are anticipated to verify the significance of peace and links.gtanet.com.br stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese media said.

That would echo joint statements made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.

Concentrating on this point is "incredibly essential" since Japan and the United States need to collaborate to avoid a potential crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a global relations specialist at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the concern of defence costs, however, gratisafhalen.be there are issues Trump might provide less cash and push Japan to do more, Smith said.

"That's where ... the Ishiba-Trump relationship could get a bit sticky," she said.

- After Abe -

Also triggering jitters is Trump's determination to slap trade tariffs on major trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has postponed measures against the latter two nations pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other ways to attain financial security," such as complying on technology, Shiraishi informed AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, announced after Trump's January inauguration, to invest as much as $500 billion in AI facilities in the United States, led by Japanese tech investment behemoth SoftBank Group and addsub.wiki US firm OpenAI.

Reports said the leaders could likewise discuss Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid to purchase US Steel, which Biden obstructed on nationwide security premises.

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