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Japan pM Heads to uS For Trump Summit

edith68h806619 edited this page 2025-02-21 05:12:06 +01:00

Japan and the US are essential defence allies and each other's leading foreign financiers

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's second top with a foreign leader because 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 nation.

Ishiba will be promoting peace of mind on the significance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" program threats trespassing on the countries' trade and defence ties.

"It would be wonderful if we could affirm that we will collaborate for the advancement this region and the world and for peace," Ishiba told press reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the trip.

Japan's Nikkei paper said Thursday the pair will provide 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 tell 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, child, drill" while boosting energy security for resource-poor Japan.

Since Japan has actually cut its melted natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "frantically needs to open up brand-new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, akropolistravel.com told AFP.

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

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

The Japan summit might be less surprising, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan danger -

Ishiba has actually stressed the significance of US defence ties, pointing to risks on Japan's doorstep such as China pushing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo must "continue to secure the US commitment to the area, to avoid a power vacuum leading to regional instability", Ishiba just recently told parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are anticipated to verify 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 "extremely important" due to the fact that Japan and the United States must interact to prevent a prospective crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a worldwide relations professional at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the burden of defence expenses, nevertheless, there are concerns Trump could provide 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 triggering jitters is Trump's willingness to slap trade tariffs on significant trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has delayed procedures against the latter two countries pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other ways to attain economic security," such as working together on technology, Shiraishi told AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, announced after Trump's January inauguration, to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the United States, led by investment behemoth SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.

Reports said the leaders might likewise go over Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion quote to purchase US Steel, which Biden blocked on national security premises.

Japan and the United States are each other's leading foreign investors, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will settle on creating an investment-friendly environment.

During his first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe enjoyed 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 home.

Trump built a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith thinks he had a "real fondness".

He will likely "see Ishiba through a various lens", said Smith, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the individual".

Ishiba, 68, will not be the very first Japanese VIP to fulfill the 78-year-old Trump face to face since he took workplace-- a difference held by SoftBank creator Masayoshi Son.