US President Donald Trump confirms military partnership between US and Japan

US: In addition to reiterating the US-Japan military alliance, US President Donald Trump said that Japan has pledged to double its defense budget by 2027 and cited the recent clearance of about $1 billion in foreign military sales to Tokyo. At the White House, Trump met with Shigeru Ishiba, the prime minister of Japan.

“After our meeting today (with Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba), I’m confident that the cherished alliances between our two countries and others will continue to flourish into the future,” the US president said after the meeting. One of our closest security alliances, and the closest we have anyplace in the world, is the military cooperation between the United States and Japan. Every day, our service members collaborate to protect our shared interests.

Japan has been spending more on defense, and Trump said he was happy with Japan’s intentions. “Japan is determined to double its defense budget by 2027,” he said. According to what we discussed today, Japan is not only essential to our collective security but also one of the largest buyers of US military hardware and exports. And I’m happy to report that my government authorized about $1 billion in overseas military sales to Tokyo this week. The security of Japan is a priority for the United States.

Prior to Trump’s meeting with the Japanese prime minister, a senior Trump administration official told a Voice of America (VOA) report that the talks will also include increasing U.S. energy exports to Japan and increasing Japanese investments in the United States.

According to the VOA report, they would also probably talk about expanding space cooperation and encouraging joint ventures to develop vital technologies like semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI).
According to the VOA story, President Trump’s statements about potentially annexing Canada as a US state, purchasing Greenland from Denmark, and seizing control of the Panama Canal have alarmed US allies; thus, this meeting is particularly important for Japan.

In spite of these doubts, the Japanese government in particular has said that it wants to improve relationships with the US.

“We would like to first establish a higher relationship of trust and cooperation between the two countries, especially the two leaders,” a senior Japanese government official was quoted as saying in the VOA story.

Additionally, President Trump has levied tariffs on a number of nations, including Canada, Mexico, and China. Even if the 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico were postponed for a while, tensions still exist about trade imbalances with nations like Japan. “As everyone knows, President Trump closely monitors the deficit as a measure of the relationship’s economic health. According to a Trump administration source quoted in the VOA article, “I’m sure discussions will happen about that.”

The blockage of Japan’s biggest steel manufacturer, Nippon Steel, from acquiring Pittsburgh-based US Steel for USD 15 billion is another problem in the US-Japan relationship, according to the article. In the latter weeks of his administration, former President Joe Biden had opposed the transaction on the grounds of national security. Trump has also said that he opposes the agreement.

The Japanese Prime Minister’s office has not commented on whether the topic would be mentioned at the meeting, and the White House has not answered questions from Voice of America (VOA) about Trump’s current position on the subject.