Overview
- Washington and Tokyo signed a bilateral accord to secure supplies of critical minerals and rare earths and to coordinate investment in extraction and processing.
- The leaders reaffirmed implementation of their July economic package, including large Japanese investments in U.S. industries and lower tariffs on Japanese autos.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated a pledge to raise Japan’s defense spending to 2% of GDP by March and to expand procurement from the United States.
- Trump highlighted the security partnership with a speech aboard the USS George Washington in Yokosuka to several thousand U.S. service members.
- China criticized Japan’s security moves, while Trump heads to meet Xi as negotiators explore a limited tariff truce and Beijing avoids firm commitments on rare‑earth export licensing.