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1 Japan pM Heads to United States For Trump Summit

Japan and the US are essential 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 summit with a because his return to the White House.

Japan is among the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military workers stationed in the country.

Ishiba will be pushing for reassurance on the importance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" agenda threats intruding on the countries' trade and defence ties.

"It would be wonderful if we might verify that we will interact for the advancement this region and the world and for peace," Ishiba informed reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the trip.

Japan's Nikkei newspaper said Thursday the pair will provide a joint statement, which could vow to construct a "golden age" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "brand-new heights".

Ishiba is expected to tell Trump that Japan will increase defence buy from the United States, the Nikkei said.

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

Since Japan has cut its liquefied gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "desperately requires to open 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 present 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 proposition to take over the Gaza Strip.

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

- Taiwan risk -

Ishiba has stressed the significance of US defence ties, pointing to threats on Japan's doorstep such as China pressing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo must "continue to protect the US commitment to the area, to prevent a power vacuum leading to 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 statements made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.

Concentrating on this point is "incredibly crucial" because Japan and the United States must interact to prevent a potential crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a worldwide relations specialist at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the problem of defence expenses, nevertheless, there are concerns Trump could supply 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 willingness to slap trade tariffs on major trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has delayed steps against the latter two nations pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other ways to attain financial security," such as working together on innovation, Shiraishi told AFP.

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

Reports said the leaders could likewise discuss Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid to purchase US Steel, which Biden obstructed on nationwide security premises.

Japan and the United States are each other's leading foreign investors, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will concur on creating an investment-friendly environment.

During his first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe delighted in warm relations.

As president-elect in December, fishtanklive.wiki Trump also hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a supper with Melania Trump at their Florida residence.

Trump built a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith thinks he had a "real 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 meet the 78-year-old Trump personally considering that he took workplace-- a distinction held by SoftBank creator Masayoshi Son.