cubed-l

Japan and the US are key defence allies and each other's leading foreign financiers

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's second top with a foreign leader given that his return to the White House.

Japan is one of the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.

Ishiba will be promoting peace of mind on the importance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" program dangers encroaching on the countries' trade and defence ties.

"It would be terrific if we could affirm that we will work together for the development this region and the world and for peace," Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo before leaving for bytes-the-dust.com the journey.

Japan's Nikkei newspaper said Thursday the pair will provide a joint statement, which could vow to build a "golden era" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "brand-new heights".

Ishiba is anticipated to tell Trump that Japan will increase defence buy from the United States, the Nikkei said.

Ishiba may also propose importing more US gas-- chiming with Trump's strategy to "drill, infant, drill" while enhancing energy security for resource-poor Japan.

Since Japan has cut its liquefied gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "desperately needs to open brand-new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, informed AFP.

"The objective is to present a win-win value proposition from Ishiba to the president," she said.

Trump will fulfill Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- just days after a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wiki.tld-wars.space where the US president triggered outcry with a proposition to take control of the Gaza Strip.

The Japan summit could be less startling, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan risk -

Ishiba has actually stressed the value of US defence ties, indicating dangers on Japan's doorstep such as China pressing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo needs to "continue to protect the US commitment to the region, to avoid a power vacuum resulting in regional instability", Ishiba just recently informed parliament.

Trump and gdprhub.eu Ishiba are expected to affirm the value of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese media said.

That would echo joint declarations made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.

Concentrating on this point is "incredibly important" because Japan and the United States should work together to avoid a possible crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a global relations specialist at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the problem of defence costs, however, there are concerns Trump could supply less money and push Japan to do more, Smith said.

"That's where ... the Ishiba-Trump relationship might get a bit sticky," she said.

- After Abe -

Also causing jitters is Trump's desire to slap trade tariffs on major oke.zone trading China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has postponed steps against the latter two nations pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will reveal him there are other ways to attain financial security," such as working together on technology, Shiraishi told AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, announced after Trump's January inauguration, to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the United States, led by Japanese tech investment behemoth SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.

Reports said the leaders might likewise discuss Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid to purchase US Steel, which Biden obstructed on national security premises.

Japan and the United States are each other's top foreign investors, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will settle on producing an investment-friendly environment.

During his first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe took pleasure in warm relations.

As president-elect in December, larsaluarna.se Trump likewise hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a supper with Melania Trump at their Florida residence.

Trump built a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith believes he had a "real fondness".

He will likely "see Ishiba through a various lens", said Smith, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the personal".

Ishiba, 68, will not be the first Japanese VIP to meet the 78-year-old Trump personally since he took office-- a difference held by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.