Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is preparing a major purchase package that includes U.S. pickup trucks, soybeans, and liquefied natural gas, to present to President Donald Trump during trade and security talks in Tokyo next week, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the discussions.
The meeting will mark Trump’s first visit to Japan since his re-election and will test Takaichi’s diplomatic skills just days into her premiership. While she plans to offer a package aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, Takaichi will stop short of committing to a new defense spending target, one of the sources told Reuters.
The talks follow an earlier agreement struck by her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, for Japan to invest as much as $550 billion in the United States in exchange for lower tariffs on Japanese automobile exports. “The alliance with the United States is the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign and security policy,” Takaichi said at her first press conference on Tuesday.
As part of her proposed “sweeteners,” Japan is expected to purchase Ford F-150 pickup trucks — an idea personally suggested by Trump — and increase imports of U.S. soybeans, following a request from U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. However, the vehicles, designed for American roads, may see limited consumer use in Japan and could instead be deployed as snow plows, according to Reuters.
Japan already sources roughly 70% of its soybeans from the United States, but may scale back imports from Brazil to accommodate the new arrangement. The move would help offset a sharp decline in American soybean exports to China, which fell to zero in September for the first time in nearly seven years amid ongoing trade tensions.
Tokyo is also considering expanding purchases of U.S. liquefied natural gas, though it will not buy from the Alaskan pipeline project long backed by Trump. In addition, Japanese officials will present a list of potential investment projects under the $550 billion U.S. deal, which both sides will review before final approval.
On defense, Takaichi has pledged to deepen cooperation with Washington but remains cautious about setting firm spending targets. Japan already hosts the largest concentration of U.S. military assets in Asia, including an aircraft carrier, a Marine expeditionary force, and numerous fighter jets.
While she may signal willingness to accelerate Japan’s defense buildup beyond its 2% of GDP target for 2027, the new prime minister has emphasized the importance of strengthening capabilities rather than focusing solely on budget ratios.
Trump is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Monday, meet Emperor Naruhito, and then travel with Takaichi to Malaysia for the ASEAN summit before continuing to South Korea for the APEC meetings later next week.
