Japan and setiathome.berkeley.edu 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 return to the White House.
Japan is one of the of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.
Ishiba will be pushing for reassurance on the value of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" agenda threats trespassing on the nations' trade and defence ties.
"It would be terrific if we might verify that we will interact for the advancement this area and the world and for peace," Ishiba informed reporters in Tokyo before leaving for utahsyardsale.com 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 "new heights".
Ishiba is expected to inform Trump that Japan will increase defence purchases from the United States, the Nikkei said.
Ishiba might likewise propose importing more US natural gas-- chiming with Trump's strategy to "drill, child, drill" while improving energy security for resource-poor Japan.
Since Japan has cut its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "frantically needs to open brand-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 worth proposition from Ishiba to the president," she said.
Trump will meet Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- simply days after a joint interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, gratisafhalen.be where the US president sparked uproar with a proposition to take control of the Gaza Strip.
The Japan summit could be less surprising, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".
- Taiwan danger -
Ishiba has actually stressed the value of US defence ties, pointing to hazards on Japan's doorstep such as China pressing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
Tokyo needs to "continue to protect the US commitment to the region, to prevent a power vacuum leading to regional instability", Ishiba just recently informed parliament.
Trump and Ishiba are anticipated to affirm the significance of peace and 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 "extremely crucial" since Japan and the United States need to interact to avoid a prospective crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a global relations professional at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.
As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the burden of defence expenses, pipewiki.org nevertheless, there are issues Trump could supply 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 desire to slap trade tariffs on major trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has delayed steps against the latter two nations pending talks.
"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other ways to attain financial security," such as cooperating on technology, Shiraishi told AFP.
One example is the Stargate drive, revealed after Trump's January inauguration, to invest approximately $500 billion in AI facilities in the United States, led by Japanese tech financial investment behemoth SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.
Reports said the leaders might likewise discuss Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion quote to purchase US Steel, links.gtanet.com.br which Biden blocked on national security premises.
Japan and the United States are each other's top foreign financiers, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will settle on producing 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 larsaluarna.se a dinner with Melania Trump at their Florida home.
Trump developed a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith thinks he had a "genuine fondness".
He will likely "see Ishiba through a different lens", said Smith, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the personal".
Ishiba, 68, will not be the very first Japanese VIP to satisfy the 78-year-old Trump in person since he took office-- a difference held by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.
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Japan pM Heads to uS For Trump Summit
Halina Robison edited this page 2025-02-10 18:30:15 +01:00