Overview
- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi spoke by phone with President Donald Trump on Jan. 2 for about 20 minutes and accepted his invitation to visit the United States in the spring.
- Both leaders agreed to work toward a spring meeting, with Japanese officials indicating the visit could come as early as March for Takaichi’s first trip to Washington as prime minister.
- They exchanged views on Indo-Pacific security and confirmed close coordination in response to Chinese military activity around Taiwan, reaffirming allied cooperation including with South Korea.
- Multiple Japanese government sources report Trump is planning to visit China in April to meet Xi Jinping, a trip Beijing views as a stage for deal-focused engagement.
- Chinese officials signaled they will leverage economic agreements to seek a U.S. statement opposing Taiwan independence and later push to restrict arms sales and military ties, as Beijing promotes a ‘G2’ image while constrained by domestic economic strains.