Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hailed U.S. President Donald Trump for his “historic contributions to global peace” during their first in-person meeting on Tuesday, signaling her intent to strengthen ties with Washington despite ongoing trade and defense tensions, according to a report by Nikkei.
In opening remarks, Takaichi credited Trump for brokering a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia, signed Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, and for mediating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — which she described as an “unprecedented historical achievement.” She added that the U.S. president had made the world “much more peaceful in a short period of time,” echoing praise once expressed by her late political mentor, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Trump, in turn, offered warm words for Takaichi, noting Abe had spoken highly of her leadership long before her rise to power. “Everything I know from Shinzo and others, you will be one of the great prime ministers,” he said. The exchange underscored the shared conservative outlook between the two leaders and their mutual desire to revive the personal chemistry that defined the U.S.-Japan relationship under Abe.
Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister and the nation’s second new leader in a year, took office last week following a period of political uncertainty and economic strain. Her administration faces the dual challenge of revitalizing the sluggish economy and managing security concerns amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Japan remains heavily reliant on the U.S. for defense, even as it pledges to increase military spending to 2% of GDP by March 2026 — two years ahead of schedule.
Nikkei reports that Tokyo and Washington reaffirmed a comprehensive economic agreement reached on September 4, which caps U.S. tariffs on Japanese imports at 15% while committing Japan to invest $550 billion, or 84 trillion yen, in seven strategic U.S. sectors, including semiconductors, energy, and artificial intelligence. The two countries also signed a deal to strengthen supply chains for rare earths and announced plans for cooperation in shipbuilding, quantum computing, and space technology.
Despite facing Trump’s tariffs and calls for greater defense contributions, Takaichi has moved swiftly to position herself as a dependable partner to the U.S. Her government seeks to use closer relations with Washington to foster economic stability, attract corporate investment, and tackle inflation that has eroded real wages for over three years.
Trump’s visit to Tokyo — his first in six years and part of a broader Asia tour that includes stops in Malaysia and South Korea — marks a renewed U.S. push to deepen alliances amid strategic competition with China. Later Tuesday, the American president is expected to meet leading Japanese business executives, including Toyota Motor representatives, to discuss trade and investment cooperation.
For Takaichi, the meeting offered an early opportunity to demonstrate continuity with Abe’s diplomacy — and to secure Trump’s confidence as she charts Japan’s path through a complex landscape of economic and geopolitical pressures.
