US President Donald Trump during a phone call on Friday invited Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to visit the US this year, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, in what would be the conservative leader’s first trip to the US since taking office in October last year.
It comes as ties between Japan and China have been strained, ramping up tensions in the region. Washington is seeking to deepen its ties with Tokyo and stabilize its relationship with Beijing ahead of a likely trip by Trump to China in April.
Beijing staged two-day military exercises in the waters off Taiwan this week.
Photo: Kyodo via Reuters
Takaichi infuriated China late last year when she said Chinese military action against Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response, breaking away from former Japanese leaders’ strategic ambiguity on the highly sensitive matter.
The ministry said Takaichi and Trump agreed to coordinate for the visit to happen this spring.
The two leaders affirmed that they would “carve out a new chapter in the history of the Japan-US alliance” in a year when the US celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding and that they would “further deepen the friendly relations” between the two nations, including economic and security cooperation, it added.
Takaichi and Trump also agreed on their commitment to promoting cooperation among like-minded partners, including the Japan-US-South Korea partnership, and to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the ministry said.
The two exchanged views “mainly on the Indo-Pacific region,” the ministry said, but did not provide details, including whether the two discussed recent actions by Beijing in the region.
China’s military drills off Taiwan also came after the Trump administration announced a package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than US$11 billion. If approved by the US Congress, it would represent the largest such aid to the nation ever — a move criticized sharply by China.
Trump on Monday said he was not informed of the exercises in advance, but still touted his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
After Takaichi’s Taiwan comments angered China, Trump called her and said they were “extremely good friends” and that she should call him any time, the Japanese leader said, without disclosing if the two talked about her remarks.
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