Tokyo, March 18 – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will depart for Washington on Wednesday evening for a three-day visit during which she is scheduled to hold talks with US President Donald Trump, with the goal of solidifying her position as a crucial partner for the US in Asia, according to local media.
This will be Takaichi's first visit to the US since she took office in October, and her first overseas trip since the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won the House of Representatives election on February 8.
Takaichi and Trump will hold a meeting at the White House on Thursday, where they will discuss ways to further strengthen the Japan-US alliance and advance economic security cooperation, according to Japanese government officials. According to the officials, Trump will host Takaichi for both a working lunch and a dinner later on Thursday following the meeting, Kyodo News, based in Japan, reported.
The officials said that the strong commitment by Japan and the US to a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and their collaboration in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and critical minerals such as rare earths will also likely be discussed by the leaders of the two nations during the meeting.
Despite US tensions with several nations over tariffs, the two leaders are likely to reaffirm the steady implementation of a bilateral agreement reached in July. According to the agreement, Japan has committed to directing USD 550 billion toward US-based projects in strategic industries, including energy, critical minerals, semiconductors, and shipbuilding. In return, the US reduced tariffs on products imported from Japan.
This will be the second meeting between Trump and Takaichi, as the two leaders met in Tokyo last October.
Prior to her visit to the US, Takaichi faced a difficult situation, as Trump over the weekend said he wanted Japan and other nations to deploy warships to ensure the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. However, Trump announced on Tuesday that the US no longer required naval support and expressed displeasure as Japan and other nations remained hesitant to agree to his repeated requests of deploying warships in the Strait of Hormuz, Kyodo News reported.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with global markets and carries a significant share of the world's oil shipments, making any disruption closely watched by energy-importing countries, including India. Japan relies on the Middle East for over 90 percent of its crude oil imports, majority of which travel through the Strait of Hormuz.