US President Donald Trump met Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in Tokyo on Tuesday for talks on trade and security, a week after the hardline conservative became Japan’s first female leader and vowed 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.
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