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Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has vowed to realise a “golden age” in her country’s relations with the US at the start of a meeting with Donald Trump in Tokyo.
Trump, who is in Japan on the second leg of a week-long tour of Asia, and Takaichi quickly signed an agreement laying out a framework to secure mining and processing of rare earths and other critical minerals. It follows China’s recent decision to tighten export controls on the materials, which are crucial for a wide range of products. Trump is scheduled to meet China’s Xi Jinping in South Korea this week for high stakes talks amid a bruising trade war.
The countries plan to cooperate through use of economic policy and coordinated investment to accelerate development of diversified, liquid, and fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths, the White House said in a statement.
The objective of the deal is “to assist both countries in achieving resilience and security of critical minerals and rare earths supply chains”, the statement said.
Earlier, Takaichi said: “I would like to realise a new golden age of the Japan-US alliance, where both Japan and the United States will become stronger and also more prosperous.” The two leaders – who had earlier watched a live TV broadcast of part of a World Series baseball match featuring the Japanese star Shohei Ohtani – then sat down for talks.
While they spoke in private, the White House said Takaichi would nominate Trump for the Nobel peace prize – an accolade Trump has coveted since his return to the White House. He claims to have ended several conflicts, although some experts have played down his role.
Takaichi, who last week became Japan’s first female prime minister, congratulated Trump on his role in securing ceasefires in Gaza and between Thailand and Cambodia, which have been embroiled in a border dispute.
In remarks open to the media before their summit, they made several references to Japan’s former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, with whom Trump formed a close relationship during his first administration.
Takaichi, an Abe protege who shares his hardline stance against China’s military build-up in the region, thanked Trump for his “enduring friendship,” with Abe, who was assassinated in 2022.
Speaking on the day of the first hearing day in the trial of the man accused of killing Abe with a homemade gun, Trump said described Abe as a “great friend”, adding that he had “spoken so well” of Takaichi long before she became prime minister.
Their talks are expected to focus on trade and security, months after Takaichi’s predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, won tariff concessions from the White House in return for huge Japanese investments in the US economy. Japanese plans to buy more American soya beans, pickup trucks and other products to secure further relief from Trump.
In a statement on Tuesday, the leaders “confirmed their strong commitment to implementing this great deal,” adding that the agreement would “help both countries to strengthen economic security, promote economic growth, and thereby continuously lead to global prosperity”.
Takaichi described the US-Japan security relationship as the “greatest alliance in the world”, adding that Japan was “ready to contribute to world peace and stability”.
Trump, who met Emperor Naruhito for a second time at the Imperial palace shortly after arriving in Japan on Monday evening, welcomed Japanese orders for US-made military hardware, adding that the two economies would do “a lot of trade”.
He congratulated Takaichi on becoming the first woman to be made Japanese prime minister, describing it as a “big deal”. Again referencing Abe, Trump said it was an “honour” to meet her so soon after the launch of her administration, predicting, with typical effusiveness, that she would go on to be one of the country’s “greatest prime ministers”.
“Anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there,” Trump said. “You’re going to do a fantastic job, and we’re going to have a fantastic relationship.”
