Japan-U.S. Summit to Be Held March 19: Trump

Washington, Feb. 5 (Jiji Press)–U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he plans to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House on March 19. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump gave his “complete and total endorsement” to the Japanese leader and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Japan Innovation Party coalition ahead of Sunday’s general election in the country. It is unusual for a U.S. president to endorse a specific side in a Japanese national election. “I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Takaichi to the White House on March 19,” the president wrote in the post, noting her efforts regarding bilateral cooperation linked to the two countries’ tariff talks and praising her as “someone who deserves powerful recognition.” Trump said that the results of Sunday’s race for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Japan’s parliament, are very important to the future of Japan. He called the Japanese prime minister a strong leader and said, “She will not let the people of Japan down!” The March visit to the White House would be Takaichi’s first visit to the United States since taking office last October. The Trump administration is considering welcoming her as a state guest, and she is expected to attend a welcome ceremony, an official dinner and an event commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Takaichi and Trump are likely to discuss at the White House summit Japan’s plan to invest 550 billion dollars in the United States, as well as the Asian country’s defense spending, after the U.S. government called on allies to hike defense expenditures to at least 5 pct of their gross domestic product. They are also expected to discuss Japan-China relations, which have soured due to Takaichi’s remarks on a possible Taiwan contingency. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]