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Japan and the US are crucial 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 2nd top with a foreign leader because his return 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" agenda threats intruding on the countries' trade and defence ties.

"It would be terrific if we could verify that we will interact for the advancement this region and the world and for peace," Ishiba told press reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the journey.

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

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

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

Since Japan has actually cut its melted natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "desperately requires to open up 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 provide a win-win worth proposition from Ishiba to the president," she said.

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

The Japan top might be less stunning, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong commitment to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan hazard -

Ishiba has actually worried the importance of US defence ties, pointing to threats on Japan's doorstep such as China pressing its claims of sovereignty on the of Taiwan.

Tokyo should "continue to secure the US dedication to the region, to avoid a power vacuum causing regional instability", Ishiba just recently informed parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are expected to affirm 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 "exceptionally essential" due to the fact that Japan and the United States need to work together to avoid a potential crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, an international relations professional at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the concern of defence expenses, nevertheless, there are concerns Trump might 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 desire to slap trade tariffs on major trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has postponed procedures against the latter 2 nations pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other methods to attain economic security," such as cooperating on innovation, Shiraishi told AFP.

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

Reports said the leaders might also discuss Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid to buy US Steel, which Biden obstructed on national security grounds.

Japan and the United States are each other's leading foreign investors, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will settle on developing 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 supper with Melania Trump at their Florida house.

Trump built a strong relationship with Abe, nerdgaming.science for whom Smith believes 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 individual".

Ishiba, 68, will not be the first Japanese VIP to satisfy the 78-year-old Trump in person given that he took office-- a difference held by SoftBank creator Masayoshi Son.