TOKYO: As President Donald Trump arrived in Japan on October 27, newly put in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was getting ready for an important first check of diplomacy, profitable over the U.S. chief with a mixture of private attraction, commerce pragmatism, and maybe, a fleet of Ford F-150 vehicles.
Takaichi’s authorities has floated the concept of shopping for the American-made pickups, a symbolic gesture to please Trump, although one difficult by Japan’s famously slim streets. The plan highlights her technique of cultivating a heat private rapport to defuse commerce tensions early in her time period.
Trump, en path to Asia, was already intrigued. “She has good taste,” he instructed reporters aboard Air Force One. “That’s a hot truck.”
Takaichi, Japan’s first feminine prime minister, took workplace only a week in the past and spoke with Trump by cellphone over the weekend, describing him afterward as “cheerful and fun.” She reminded him that she was a protégé of the late Shinzo Abe, a Trump favourite throughout his first time period, and praised the president for his position in brokering a Gaza ceasefire. “He well recognizes me and said he remembers me as a politician whom Prime Minister Abe really cared about,” she mentioned.
Trump, who spent the weekend at a regional summit in Malaysia, instructed reporters earlier than touchdown in Tokyo that he deliberate to focus on the “great friendship” between the U.S. and Japan.
Behind the gestures lies a harder agenda. Japan is searching for to reset commerce relations after Trump imposed tariffs earlier this yr and urged allies to purchase extra American items. Tokyo’s earlier authorities pledged US$550 billion in U.S. investments, prompting Trump to cut back a threatened 25 p.c tariff to fifteen p.c. Japan now desires these investments to favor its personal corporations.
Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa mentioned his ministry is compiling tasks in chips and power to satisfy the goal. “I’m hearing that there are a number of Japanese companies that are showing interest,” he mentioned.
For Trump, Ford vehicles rumbling by Tokyo’s cityscape would symbolize progress in a market lengthy dominated by Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. Reports say Japan might import F-150s for official use, together with street inspections, regardless of considerations they could clog slim streets. Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda may additionally announce plans to import American-made Toyotas throughout a dinner with Trump this week.
Trump praised Takaichi as “a great friend of Mr. Abe, who was a great man,” signaling his openness to cooperation. Still, analysts say her reliance on Abe’s legacy carries dangers.
“Because it’s Takaichi’s first diplomatic engagement, she wants to start with a bang,” mentioned Rintaro Nishimura of The Asia Group. “But leaning too heavily on the Abe line might not help her define her own leadership.”
Trump will meet Emperor Naruhito and Takaichi on October 28, adopted by a dinner with Japanese enterprise leaders and a speech aboard the usS. George Washington. He then heads to South Korea for talks with Xi Jinping and, probably, Kim Jong Un. “If he wants to meet, I’ll be in South Korea,” Trump mentioned.