Overview
- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Donald Trump held a roughly 20‑minute call on Jan. 2 and agreed to coordinate a spring visit to the United States.
- In the call, both leaders said they would deepen wide‑ranging cooperation on the economy and security, consult closely on Indo‑Pacific issues, and advance U.S.-Japan-ROK coordination and a free and open Indo‑Pacific.
- Jiji Press reported Takaichi could travel as early as March, while Chinese officials are preparing for a potential Trump trip to China in April as part of a broader push to present 2026 as a U.S.-China “G2” moment.
- Beijing is keeping a hard line on Tokyo after Takaichi’s remarks on a Taiwan contingency, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi signaling no higher‑level dialogue unless Japan retracts its statements.
- Trump signed a Jan. 2 order requiring China‑linked Hi‑Fore to sell Emcore’s semiconductor business within 180 days on national security grounds, as U.S. intelligence also disputed Russia’s claim of a Ukrainian attack on Putin’s estate and Gaza peace efforts stalled over Hamas disarmament.