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US President Donald Trump met Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in Tokyo on Tuesday for talks on trade and security, praising her elevation as the country’s first female leader and her pledge to accelerate a military build-up. Takaichi is expected to offer a package of US investments in a US$550 billion deal agreed this year, including shipbuilding and increased purchases of US soybeans, gas and pickup trucks, sources familiar with the matter said. She also plans to tell him she is preparing to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, following other world leaders that have recommended Trump for the accolade he has long sought, broadcaster NTV reported on Tuesday, citing government sources. Those gestures may temper any Trump demands for Tokyo to spend more on defending islands from an increasingly assertive China, which Takaichi sought to head off by pledging last week to fast track plans to increase defence spending to 2 per cent of gross domestic product. “It’s a very strong handshake,” Trump said, as the pair posed for photos at the Akasaka Palace in downtown Tokyo before Trump was guided into the ballroom for an honour guard. Trump called Takaichi’s role as Japan’s first female prime minister a “big deal”, putting an emphasis on the US commitment to Japan. While the president in the past has publicly scolded his foreign counterparts, he had nothing but praise for Takaichi. “Anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there,” Trump said. “We are an ally at the strongest level.” They were earlier heard chatting about late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, a close political ally of Takaichi who struck up a bond with Trump in his first term during hours spent golfing together. “He was a great friend of mine and a great friend of yours,” Trump said to Takaichi as he entered the palace. He also praised Japan’s efforts to increase its military capacity and buy more US defence equipment, while Takaichi said Trump’s role in securing ceasefires between Cambodia and Thailand, and Israel and Palestinian militants, were “unprecedented” achievements. Trump was last at the palace, an ornate residence built in a European style, in 2019 for talks with Abe, who was assassinated in 2022. He received a royal welcome shortly after his arrival on Monday, meeting Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace. During their meeting, Takaichi will present Trump with one of Abe’s golf clubs in a gesture meant to rekindle the close bond the two leaders had formed on golf courses in Japan and the United States, a source familiar with the plan said. The source sought anonymity as they were not allowed to speak to the media. A similar close relationship with the leader of Japan’s major security and trade partner could help Takaichi bolster her weak political position at home. Though she has seen a surge in public support since becoming prime minister, her coalition government is two votes shy of a majority in parliament’s lower house. On Tuesday afternoon, Trump and Takaichi will visit the US naval base in Yokosuka near Tokyo, which is home to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, part of the US military’s powerful presence in the region. Trump will meet business leaders in Tokyo before travelling on Wednesday to South Korea. In talks there with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said he hopes to seal a trade war truce between the world’s two biggest economies.
