1 Japan pM Heads to United States For Trump Summit

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Japan and the US are crucial 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 considering that his go back to the White House.

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

Ishiba will be promoting peace of mind on the value of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" agenda dangers intruding on the countries' trade and defence ties.

"It would be terrific if we might verify that we will work together for the development 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, utahsyardsale.com which could vow to construct a "golden age" of bilateral relations and akropolistravel.com bring the alliance to "new heights".

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

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

Since Japan has cut its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "frantically needs 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 present a win-win worth proposition from Ishiba to the president," she said.

Trump will fulfill Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- just days after a joint interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president triggered outcry with a proposition to take control of the Gaza Strip.

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

- Taiwan risk -

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

Tokyo should "continue to protect the US dedication to the region, to prevent a power vacuum causing local instability", Ishiba recently told parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are expected to verify 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.

Focusing on this point is "incredibly crucial" since Japan and the United States should work together to prevent a possible crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, an international relations expert at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the concern of defence expenses, nevertheless, there are issues Trump might offer less cash 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 causing jitters is Trump's desire to slap trade tariffs on significant trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has postponed steps against the latter 2 nations pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other ways to attain financial security," such as complying on technology, Shiraishi informed AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, revealed after Trump's January inauguration, to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the United States, led by Japanese tech investment leviathan SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.

Reports said the leaders could likewise go over 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 investors, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will settle on creating an investment-friendly environment.

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

As president-elect in December, trademarketclassifieds.com Trump likewise hosted Akie Abe, suvenir51.ru 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 "real fondness".

He will likely "see Ishiba through a various lens", said Smith, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the personal".

Ishiba, 68, will not be the first Japanese VIP to satisfy the 78-year-old Trump face to face because he took workplace-- a difference held by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.