Japan and shiapedia.1god.org the US are crucial defence allies and setiathome.berkeley.edu each other's top foreign investors

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's 2nd summit with a foreign leader given that his go back to the White House.

Japan is among the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military workers stationed in the country.

Ishiba will be pressing for reassurance on the importance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" program threats intruding on the countries' trade and defence ties.

"It would be terrific if we could verify that we will work together for the development this area and the world and for peace," Ishiba told press reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the journey.

Japan's Nikkei newspaper said Thursday the pair will provide a joint declaration, utahsyardsale.com which might vow to build a "golden era" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "new heights".

Ishiba is anticipated to inform Trump that Japan will increase defence purchases from the United States, the Nikkei said.

Ishiba might likewise propose importing more US gas-- chiming with Trump's strategy to "drill, baby, drill" while improving energy security for resource-poor Japan.

Since Japan has cut its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "desperately requires to open up new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told AFP.

"The intention is to provide a win-win worth proposition from Ishiba to the president," she said.

Trump will satisfy Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- simply days after a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president stimulated uproar with a proposition to take over the Gaza Strip.

The Japan top could be less stunning, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong commitment to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan risk -

Ishiba has actually stressed the importance of US defence ties, pointing to dangers on Japan's doorstep such as China pushing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo should "continue to secure the US dedication to the region, to prevent a power vacuum resulting in local instability", Ishiba recently told parliament.

Trump and photorum.eclat-mauve.fr Ishiba are anticipated to verify the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese media said.

That would echo joint statements made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.

Focusing on this point is "extremely essential" since Japan and the United States should collaborate to avoid a potential crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a global relations expert at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and forum.altaycoins.com the United States renegotiate how to share the problem of defence costs, nevertheless, there are concerns Trump might supply less cash and push Japan to do more, Smith said.

"That's where ... the Ishiba-Trump relationship might get a bit sticky," she said.

- After Abe -

Also causing jitters is Trump's desire to slap trade tariffs on significant trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has actually postponed steps against the latter 2 nations pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other ways to attain economic security," such as complying on innovation, Shiraishi informed AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, revealed after Trump's January inauguration, to invest as much as $500 billion in AI facilities in the United States, led by Japanese tech financial investment behemoth SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.

Reports said the leaders could also go over $14.9 billion quote to buy US Steel, which Biden blocked on national security premises.

Japan and the United States are each other's leading foreign financiers, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will settle on producing an investment-friendly environment.

During his first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe enjoyed warm relations.

As president-elect in December, Trump likewise hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a dinner with Melania Trump at their Florida residence.

Trump constructed a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith believes he had a "genuine fondness".

He will likely "see Ishiba through a various lens", said Smith, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the individual".

Ishiba, 68, will not be the very first Japanese VIP to meet the 78-year-old Trump personally since he took office-- a distinction held by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.