Japanese Prime Minister seeking “personal relationship” with Trump
The White House visit is the second visit by foreign leaders during the new administration, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s whirlwind trip earlier this week.
“It will be our first face-to-face meeting,” Isba told reporters before leaving for Washington. “I want to focus on building a personal relationship of trust between the two of us.”
During Trump’s first term in office from 2017 to 2021, he grew close to then-Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and formed a bond with golf. Abe resigned in 2020 He was assassinated two years later.
Japanese officials said Isab had made “any possible preparations” for a meeting with Trump. This was followed by advice from Abe’s widow who attended the inauguration ceremony as Melania Trump guest, and from his predecessor, Fumio Kishidida.
A senior Trump administration official said the visit focused primarily on “peace and prosperity” in the Pacific. Trump is likely to bring not only cooperation on defense investment, but also realistic training exercises between the US military and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
The White House said semiconductors and artificial intelligence will also be on the agenda.
From a Japanese perspective, Isba is expected to highlight Japan’s role as a major US economic partner, and to emphasize that Japan is the top US foreign investor for the fifth consecutive year.
Among the multinational companies, Japanese companies are the largest employment creator in 10 states and the second largest in six states.
In Kentucky alone, Japanese companies employ more than 45,000 people, mainly for automotive products manufacturing.
The defense and security debate is also well below the 5% Trump is sought among NATO allies, including Japan’s recent commitment to raising defense spending to 2%.
Japanese officials are considering the prospect of increasing military ties with Russian concerns, particularly Russian missile technology being transferred to allies.
Trump administration officials said it shares Japan’s “commitment” with denuclearized North Korea.