Washington DC/Tokyo, March 19 (ANI): Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi landed in the United States on Thursday for high-stakes talks with US President Donald Trump in Washington, aiming to cement Japan’s role as America’s indispensable partner in Asia even as Trump shifts focus to West Asia amid the war with Iran, Japanese state media reported.
Ahead of a three-day US visit, Takaichi told reporters in Tokyo she hopes to reaffirm the strength of bilateral ties with Trump on issues ranging from security to the economy. She is also expected to present Trump with a new round of investments under a $550 billion trade deal signed last year.
“Global peace and stability is being threatened, including over the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and energy security,” she said. “If the current unstable situation continues, things will get even harder for both Japan and the United States, as well as the rest of the world,” Kyodo News reported.
Posting on X before departure, Takaichi wrote she aims to “strengthen Japan-US relations across all fields, including security and economic security as part of the economy, and to reaffirm the strong commitment of both Japan and the United States to a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP),’ which is also a pillar of Japanese diplomacy.” She added she would thoroughly prepare for the summit with President Trump while in flight.
The visit is Takaichi’s first trip to Washington since assuming office in October 2025. Days after becoming Japan’s first woman prime minister, she held her first summit with Trump in Tokyo. In February this year, her Liberal Democratic Party secured a landslide victory in a snap parliamentary election.
According to officials cited by Kyodo, Trump will host Takaichi for both a working lunch and a dinner on Thursday after talks at the White House.
The visit comes as the US and its allies manage tensions in West Asia following the US-Israeli war against Iran and Tehran’s strikes on Israel and US military bases in the Gulf. Trump on Tuesday (local time) walked back his call for Japan, China, NATO, South Korea and others to send warships to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, writing on social media that, given “such Military Success,” the US did not need assistance from NATO countries, Japan, Australia, or South Korea.
Japan has not issued a statement on US and Israeli actions but has condemned Tehran for attacks in West Asia that caused civilian casualties.
Japan, heavily dependent on oil imports, has seen Japanese companies face price increases and supply restrictions due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. The government has begun releasing oil from strategic reserves and plans subsidies to offset surging prices, the Washington Post reported.
Historically, Japan has maintained friendly relations with both Israel and Arab states and has positioned itself as a neutral intermediary in Middle East conflicts. Japan’s post-World War II constitution restricts military operations overseas; Japan deployed its Self-Defense Forces in April 1991 following the Gulf War only after a ceasefire was declared, the Post noted.
Takaichi’s visit also occurs amid rising tensions with China after her November 7 parliamentary comment that a military attack on Taiwan or a naval blockade by Beijing might constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, implying Tokyo could invoke its right to collective self-defense.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released the 2026 annual threat assessment of the US intelligence community, which said China-Japan tensions increased significantly in November 2025 following Takaichi’s comments. The report said China is employing multidomain coercive pressure likely to intensify through 2026 to punish Japan and deter other countries from similar statements about involvement in a Taiwan crisis.
China’s initial actions included aggressive official rhetoric, cancellations of flights and cultural exchanges, and reinstating its ban on Japanese seafood imports. The report warned Beijing would probably escalate to additional coercive economic measures if tensions rise and likely increase military and coast guard activity around the Senkaku Islands—administered by Japan but claimed by China—to signal displeasure and test Japanese responses, raising risks of accidents or miscalculation that could lead to inadvertent escalation.
“However, the IC assesses that China will likely seek to set the conditions for an eventual peaceful reunification with Taiwan, short of conflict,” the report said.
Trump had been scheduled to visit Beijing for talks with President Xi Jinping starting March 31 but confirmed on Tuesday he is delaying the meeting. “We are resetting the meeting,” Trump told reporters, saying China was fine with the change and he now plans to visit in “about five weeks” or toward the end of April. His last state visit to China was in 2017 during his first term. (ANI)
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