TOKYO – Japan has sounded out the United States about the possibility of a visit by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the latter half of March for a summit with President Donald Trump, a government source said Wednesday, as Tokyo looks to reaffirm its alliance with Washington amid tensions with Beijing.
The first U.S. trip as prime minister could allow Takaichi, whose recent remarks on a Taiwan contingency have caused friction with Beijing, to exchange views with Trump and align positions ahead of his expected April visit to China for talks with President Xi Jinping.
Amid concerns in Japan over Trump’s position on China, Tokyo initially proposed a January itinerary ahead of the regular Diet session expected to open later in the month, but no arrangement was reached, the source said.
A late-March trip would allow the prime minister to travel once Diet approval of the initial budget plan for fiscal 2026, which will begin the following month, is likely to be secured. The visit could still slip into April or later, depending on the U.S. side, the source said.
If another Takaichi-Trump summit is realized, Japan is expected to convey its stance on an increasingly assertive China and secure U.S. understanding at a time of worsening Sino-Japanese ties, the source said.
The face-to-face meeting, the first since October in Tokyo shortly after Takaichi took office, would come as the United States under Trump is seen as softening its stance on China while prioritizing trade negotiations, and as Xi is expected to make a state visit to the United States next year.
Japan is likely to seek cooperation from the United States on economic security, including improving rare-earth supply chains that it currently relies on China for, the source said.
Trump could urge Tokyo to spell out specifics under the $550 billion U.S. investment package Japan promised in return for a tariff deal, and the two could also discuss Takaichi’s plans to raise Japan’s defense spending.
Tokyo-Beijing relations have soured since Takaichi, a national security hawk, made remarks in parliament in November that suggested an attack on Taiwan could constitute an existential threat to Japan and potentially trigger a response from its defense forces.
Communist-led China views the self-ruled democratic island as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
AloJapan.com