US President Donald Trump departed for Tokyo to meet Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday, as part of an Asia tour focused on trade, investment, and defence cooperation.
This marks Trump’s longest overseas trip since taking office in January. Before arriving in Japan, he visited Malaysia, where he announced a series of trade and investment deals with Southeast Asian nations and witnessed the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.
The tour will conclude with a summit in South Korea on Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Washington and Beijing strive to prevent a revival of their damaging trade conflict.
Trump has already secured a $550 billion investment commitment from Japan in exchange for easing tariff pressures. Prime Minister Takaichi is expected to pledge additional purchases of American vehicles, soybeans, and gas to further strengthen bilateral ties.
Trump wrote on Truth Social before boarding his flight, “Just leaving Malaysia, a great and very vibrant Country. Signed major Trade and Rare Earth Deals, and yesterday, most importantly, signed the Peace Treaty between Thailand and Cambodia. No War! Millions of lives saved.
“Such an honor to have gotten this done. Now, off to Japan.”
Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female prime minister last week, told Trump in their first phone conversation that enhancing the Japan-US alliance was her “top priority.”
Security across Tokyo has been tightened for Trump’s visit, with thousands of police deployed following the arrest of a knife-wielding man near the US Embassy on Friday. An anti-Trump demonstration is also planned in the Shinjuku district.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Japan’s Ryosei Akazawa, the architects of a July tariff deal, will meet for a working lunch on Monday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both accompanying Trump, are also scheduled to hold talks with their Japanese counterparts, including Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama.
Imperial welcome for Trump’s return
Trump’s first stop in Tokyo will be an audience with Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace. The former US president was also the first foreign leader to meet the emperor upon his ascension to the throne in 2019. Although the emperor holds a purely ceremonial role, Trump’s substantial talks will take place the following day with Prime Minister Takaichi.
A longtime ally of the assassinated Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is seen as continuing his approach to diplomacy with US. Abe had forged a personal friendship with Trump during his first term, often meeting him on the golf course.
Trump told reporters on Saturday after their call, “She’s great… we’re going to be seeing her very soon. She’s very friendly. She was a very, very close ally and friend of Prime Minister Abe and you know he was one of my favourites.”
The meeting between Trump and Takaichi will be held at Akasaka Palace- the same venue where Trump met Abe 6 years ago- and will include a military honor guard ceremony.
Takaichi is expected to reaffirm Japan’s commitment to expanding defence capabilities, following her recent pledge to accelerate the country’s largest military buildup since World War II.
Japan hosts the largest concentration of US troops overseas, but Trump has repeatedly argued Tokyo should bear a greater share of its defence burden amid rising tensions with China.
Kevin Maher, a Japan specialist at NMV Consulting and former US diplomat, said, “Some kind of statement on standing shoulder-to-shoulder together to deter and respond to attempts to change the status quo in the region by force or coercion would be useful.”
Despite her intention to raise defence spending to 2% of GDP, Takaichi faces political hurdles in committing to deeper military expenditures, as her ruling coalition lacks a majority in Japan’s lower house of parliament.
