PM Takaichi, U.S. Treasury Chief Meet before Trump’s China Trip

Tokyo, May 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met in Tokyo on Tuesday, reaffirming bilateral cooperation on economic security, such as strategic investments and critical minerals, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to China. Bessent, who will accompany Trump on his China trip, told reporters after the meeting, “We discussed the president’s visit and…the importance of the Japanese-U.S. bilateral relationship.” Takaichi wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that she was briefed by Bessent on the current state of U.S.-China relations. The Japanese government is concerned that Trump may strike a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping while leaving key security issues, including Taiwan, unresolved. Tokyo hopes that prior coordination with Bessent, a key figure in U.S. policy on China, will prevent this scenario. During Tuesday’s meeting, Takaichi also mentioned a plan to strengthen Japanese and U.S. supply chains and noted the need to reduce the risk of cutting-edge artificial intelligence models, such as Claude Mythos, developed by U.S. startup Anthropic, being used for malicious purposes. Takaichi and Bessent also discussed foreign exchange trends. “We both believe that excessive volatility is undesirable,” Bessent told reporters. “We’ve been in close contact with the (Japanese) Ministry of Finance and we will stay in close contact with them,” he said. “Constant communication is the key to good outcomes.” The meeting was also attended by Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, Atsushi Mimura, Japanese vice minister of finance for international affairs, and Keiichi Ichikawa, secretary-general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, as well as U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass. Earlier in the day, Katayama and Bessent had a separate meeting. The U.S. Treasury chief also held separate talks with Japanese industry minister Ryosei Akazawa and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]