US President Donald Trump is set to visit Japan for three days starting Monday for his first in-person discussions with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Kyodo News reported. This will mark Trump’s first trip to Japan in nearly six years. Takaichi, who secured the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election on October 4, became Japan’s first woman prime minister on Tuesday, succeeding Shigeru Ishiba.
During a regular press briefing on Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Trump is also expected to meet Emperor Naruhito. “President Trump’s visit is an extremely meaningful opportunity to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance,” Kihara added, noting that Takaichi’s administration “sincerely welcomes” the trip, according to Kyodo News.
Takaichi is recognized for her conservative policies and hawkish security views, echoing the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who maintained a close relationship with Trump during his first US term starting in 2017.
Trump, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, last traveled to Japan in 2019 to attend the Group of 20 summit in Osaka. With Takaichi now officially elected Prime Minister by parliament on Tuesday, becoming Japan’s first woman leader, the upcoming visit is expected to further solidify US-Japan ties, Kyodo News reported.
Takaichi avoided a runoff with a victory in the first round of voting in the Lower House, garnering 237 votes against Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda’s 149, Kyodo News reported.
The official Japanese news agency said that 64-year-old Takaichi won 237 of 465 votes cast in the lower house of Parliament to become Japan’s prime minister. Among the challenges the new prime minister faces are a sluggish economy and the task of uniting the ruling party, which has been rocked by scandals and internal conflicts.
On Monday, Takaichi, who has been seeking a new political partner, reached a formal agreement with Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, who leads the JIP, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai.
Takaichi, a protege of the late former PM Shinzo Abe, was already moving ahead with forming a Cabinet on Tuesday morning ahead of her formal election as prime minister. No lawmakers from the JIP are expected to join the Cabinet.
As part of the agreement, both parties will work together on several key reforms, including reducing the number of lawmakers in Japan’s parliament by 10 per cent and overhauling the social security system.
The JIP’s long-standing proposal to make Osaka a “secondary capital” alongside Tokyo is also expected to be included in the joint agenda. JIP’s parliamentary leader, Fumitake Fujita, said the decision to form a coalition with the LDP had strong support within the party. “There was not a single cautious, opposing, or critical opinion,” Fujita told reporters after a party meeting on Sunday.
Takaichi has reportedly offered “several ministerial posts” to JIP members to strengthen the alliance. However, the party has shown reluctance to accept such positions. Former JIP leader Nobuyuki Baba told reporters that none of the party members at Sunday’s meeting supported the idea of taking Cabinet posts in Takaichi’s administration.
