Japan PM to tread carefully in Trump talks

by Danny KEMP

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will cautiously try to convince Donald Trump to treat Tokyo better than other allies Friday when he becomes the second foreign leader to meet the US president since his return to power.

The bookish 68-year-old will gently seek to protect Japan from the tariffs that Trump has threatened elsewhere, and to stress that his country is a key US partner against a rising China and a nuclear-armed North Korea.

While the avowed "geek" and model warship fan is unlikely to replicate Trump's close bond with former premier and golf buddy Shinzo Abe, he will at least try to build a connection with the mercurial US leader.

"It would be wonderful if we could affirm that we will work together for the development of this region, and the world, and for peace," Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the trip.

The soft-spoken, cigarette-smoking Ishiba is expected to focus on the fact that Japan is the top foreign investor in the United States, hoping to appeal to Trump's "America First" policies.

Trump and Ishiba are expected to issue a joint statement vowing to build a "golden age" of bilateral relations, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported, echoing the main slogan from the US president's inaugural speech.

He is also set to tell Trump that Japan will increase defense purchases from the United States, the Nikkei report said.

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

But the main goal for Ishiba, who has only been in office since October and heads a minority government, is simple: stay on Trump's good side.

- 'Personal trust' -

Under Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, Japan was shielded from some of Trump's more punishing tendencies, such as sudden trade wars and pressure to increase financial contributions towards hosting US soldiers.

Days after Trump's election victory, Abe rushed to deliver to him a gold-plated golf club. In a sign of their close bond, Trump hosted Abe's widow Akie for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida this past December.

Ishiba, best known for his plastic model building and fascination with 1970s pop idols, will be hoping his more low-key approach can also work.

The Republican has lashed out at a series of allies in the two weeks since he returned to the White House, ordering sanctions against neighbors Canada and Mexico before pausing them at the last minute.

He has threatened to seize the Panama Canal and pressured NATO member Denmark to sell Greenland.

Trump has also repeatedly in the past called on allies hosting US troops to pay more for their defense.

A Japanese foreign ministry official said in Tokyo that "we hope the leaders will be able to build a relationship of personal trust."

They were expected to speak about security, defense and the economy, the official said -- but it was not clear if the thorny issue of Nippon Steel's blocked takeover bid of U.S. Steel would be discussed.

Trump's predecessor Joe Biden angered Tokyo by stopping the deal. Trump has said he also opposed it.

Trump has recently been more focused on his first visitor to the White House -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

During Netanyahu's visit on Tuesday Trump unveiled a shock plan for the U.S. to "take over" the Gaza Strip.

© Agence France-Presse