GitLab

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

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 given that 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 workers stationed in the country.

Ishiba will be pushing for reassurance on the significance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" program risks intruding on the countries' trade and defence ties.

"It would be terrific if we might verify that we will collaborate for the development this area and the world and for peace," Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the journey.

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

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

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

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

"The intent is to provide a win-win worth proposal 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, where the US president sparked outcry with a proposition to take control of the Gaza Strip.

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

- Taiwan threat -

Ishiba has actually worried the value of US defence ties, indicating dangers on Japan's doorstep such as China pushing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo should "continue to protect the US commitment to the region, to avoid a power vacuum leading to local instability", Ishiba 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 statements made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.

Concentrating on this point is "very essential" due to the fact that Japan and the United States need to collaborate to avoid a prospective crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, an international relations expert at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and wiki.eqoarevival.com the United States renegotiate how to share the problem of defence expenses, nevertheless, there are concerns Trump could supply 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 willingness to slap trade tariffs on major trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has postponed procedures against the latter two nations pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will reveal him there are other ways to attain economic security," such as working together on innovation, Shiraishi informed AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, announced 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 also talk about Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion quote to purchase US Steel, which Biden blocked on nationwide security grounds.

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

During his very first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe took pleasure in warm relations.

As president-elect in December, Trump also hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a supper with Melania Trump at their Florida house.

Trump developed 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, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the personal".

Ishiba, 68, kenpoguy.com will not be the very first Japanese VIP to meet the 78-year-old Trump in individual given that he took workplace-- a distinction held by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.