Japan’s prime minister to seek ‘personal relationship’ with Trump

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to meet with Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, as the Japanese leader hopes to cement ties with the country’s primary foreign partner.

US and Japanese officials said economic and security concerns – particularly North Korea – will be high on the agenda, along with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Ishiba and Japanese officials said that the main purpose of the visit, however, is to forge personal ties with Trump – who had a warm relationship with former PM Shinzo Abe during his first term.

The visit marks the first by an Asian leader to the White House since Trump’s second administration began in January.

The White House visit is the second by a foreign leader during the new administration, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s whirlwind trip earlier this week.

“It will be our first face-to-face talks,” Ishiba told reporters before leaving for Washington. “I would like to focus on building a personal relationship of trust between the two of us.”

During Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021, he grew close to then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, bonding over golf. Abe resigned in 2020 and was assassinated two years later.

Japanese officials said that Ishiba made “every possible preparation” for his meeting with Trump, including seeking advice from Abe’s widow – who attended the inauguration as a guest of Melania Trump – and from his predecessor, Fumio Kishida.

Senior Trump administration officials described the visit as primarily focused on “peace and prosperity” in the Pacific. Trump is likely to bring up realistic training exercises between the US military and Japan’s Self-Defence Forces, as well as cooperation on defence investment.

The White House said that semiconductors and artificial intelligence also would be on the agenda.

From the Japanese perspective, Ishiba is expected to underscore Japan’s role as a major economic partner for the US, and highlight that Japan has been the top foreign investor in the US for five consecutive years.

Among multinational firms, Japanese companies are the largest job creators in 10 states and the second largest in another six.

In Kentucky alone, Japanese companies employ more than 45,000 people, primarily in auto equipment manufacturing.

Defence and security discussions also are likely, including Japan’s recent commitment to raise defence spending to 2% – far below the 5% that Trump has called for among Nato allies – as well as the US commitment to Taiwan’s defence and mutual concerns about North Korea.

Japanese officials consider North Korea’s growing military ties with Russia worrisome, particularly the prospect of Russian missile technology being transferred to their ally.

Trump administration officials said it shares Japan’s “commitment” to a de-nuclearised North Korea.