Japan pM Heads to uS For Trump Summit

Japan and the US are crucial defence allies and each other's leading foreign investors

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for wolvesbaneuo.com the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's second summit with a foreign leader since 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 nation.

Ishiba will be pressing for reassurance on the significance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" agenda threats trespassing on the nations' trade and defence ties.

"It would be wonderful if we could verify that we will collaborate for the development this region and the world and for peace," Ishiba told press reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the trip.

Japan's Nikkei newspaper said Thursday the pair will issue a joint statement, which could vow to develop a "golden era" 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 gas-- chiming with Trump's plan to "drill, child, 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 brand-new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, informed AFP.

"The intent is to provide 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 sparked outcry with a proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip.

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

- Taiwan threat -

Ishiba has worried the value 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 needs to "continue to protect the US dedication to the region, to prevent a power vacuum resulting in local instability", Ishiba just recently informed 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.

Concentrating on this point is "extremely crucial" due to the fact that Japan and wiki.armello.com the United States need to to avoid a potential 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 costs, however, there are concerns Trump might provide less cash and push Japan to do more, Smith said.

"That's where ... the Ishiba-Trump relationship might get a bit sticky," she said.

- After Abe -

Also triggering jitters is Trump's determination to slap trade tariffs on major trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has actually postponed measures against the latter 2 countries pending talks.

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

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

Reports said the leaders might likewise talk about Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion quote to buy US Steel, photorum.eclat-mauve.fr which Biden blocked on nationwide security premises.

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

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

As president-elect in December, 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 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 meet the 78-year-old Trump in person given that he took workplace-- a difference held by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.