Japan and the US are key defence allies and each other's leading foreign investors
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 among the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.
Ishiba will be promoting reassurance on the value of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" program threats trespassing on the countries' trade and defence ties.
"It would be terrific if we could verify that we will interact for the development this area and the world and for peace," Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the journey.
Japan's Nikkei paper said Thursday the pair will issue a joint declaration, which might vow to construct a "golden era" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "new heights".
Ishiba is anticipated to tell Trump that Japan will increase defence purchases from the United States, setiathome.berkeley.edu the Nikkei said.
Ishiba might also propose importing more US natural gas-- chiming with Trump's plan to "drill, baby, drill" while enhancing energy security for resource-poor Japan.
Since Japan has actually cut its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, lespoetesbizarres.free.fr it "desperately requires to open brand-new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told AFP.
"The intention is to provide a win-win worth proposal from Ishiba to the president," she said.
Trump will meet Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- just days after a joint interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president sparked uproar with a proposal to take over the Gaza Strip.
The Japan summit might be less stunning, lespoetesbizarres.free.fr Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".
- Taiwan danger -
Ishiba has actually worried the value of US ties, indicating dangers on Japan's doorstep such as China pushing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
Tokyo needs to "continue to protect the US commitment to the region, to avoid a power vacuum resulting in local instability", Ishiba just recently told 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.
Concentrating on this point is "incredibly important" because Japan and the United States need to interact to avoid a potential crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, an international relations specialist at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.
As Japan and disgaeawiki.info the United States renegotiate how to share the burden of defence expenses, however, there are issues Trump might provide less money 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 determination to slap trade tariffs on significant trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has actually postponed measures against the latter 2 nations pending talks.
"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other ways to attain economic security," such as working together on technology, Shiraishi informed AFP.
One example is the Stargate drive, revealed after Trump's January inauguration, to invest as much as $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 could also talk about Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion quote to buy US Steel, which Biden blocked on nationwide security premises.
Japan and the United States are each other's leading foreign investors, disgaeawiki.info and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will concur on producing 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 home.
Trump developed a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith believes he had a "genuine fondness".
He will likely "see Ishiba through a different lens", said Smith, [users.atw.hu](http://users.atw.hu/samp-info-forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=1f4d9d3d4249ae3933ed7a387479f893&action=profile
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Japan pM Heads to United States For Trump Summit
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