Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will visit the United States from February 6 to 8, where he will hold his first personal meeting with US President Donald Trump, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi announced, as quoted by Agence France-Presse and BTA.
“During the visit, we hope to build a strong relationship of trust with the new US administration and take the Japan-US alliance to a new level“, Hayashi said.
Attempts to establish dialogue
In November, Ishiba had a brief phone conversation with Trump shortly after the US presidential election, but unsuccessfully tried to arrange a meeting before his inauguration.
In December, Donald and Melania Trump invited Akie Abe, the widow of Shinzo Abe – the former Japanese prime minister who was assassinated in 2022, at a private dinner at their Florida mansion. That same month, the CEO of the technology giant “Softbank“ Masayoshi Son, in the presence of Trump, announced a $100 billion investment in the United States.
Regional stability and strategic challenges
Last week, Shigeru Ishiba stressed the importance of close relations with the United States for stability in the region.
“At a time when the balance of power is undergoing historic shifts, we need to deepen Japan-US cooperation in a practical way,“ he told the Japanese parliament.
He added that Tokyo must maintain its commitment to Washington to prevent the creation of a “power vacuum“ that could lead to regional instability. The statement underscores Japan's concerns about China's growing military power in the Asia-Pacific region and Donald Trump's "America First" policy, which requires allies like Japan to shoulder a greater share of defense spending.