The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on October 22 that U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Japan from October 27 to 29 as an "official practical visiting guest."
During his stay, the Emperor will meet with President Trump, and a Japan-U.S. summit meeting between Takahashi and Trump is scheduled for October 28.
Takahashi Asako, who has no diplomatic experience and has never held a foreign affairs position within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), will how conduct the summit meeting with Trump, and what topics will be involved?
U.S. President Trump arrives at Tokyo Haneda International Airport. October 27, 2025, via REUTERS - KYODO
Firstly, Trump places great emphasis on personal mutual trust between leaders, so Prime Minister Takahashi Asako hopes to follow the example of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who had a close relationship with Trump, and to present herself as the successor of the "Abe line" to rekindle the friendship between Trump and former Prime Minister Abe.
In an article published by Takahashi Asako on October 1st to the American think tank Hudson Institute, she wrote that Japan and the U.S. are "the closest partners," and this relationship "continues from the bond between former Prime Minister Abe and President Trump." When she mentioned in a press conference "reviving Japan's diplomacy on the world stage," it was also a phrase borrowed from former Prime Minister Abe's writings. Takahashi intends to highlight the "Abe imprint" to gain trust.
According to sources, Prime Minister Takahashi is coordinating the gift of a golf bag used and signed by professional golfer Shunsuke Nakamura during a golf game with Trump and former Prime Minister Abe in 2017, as well as gold balls made from gold leaf in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, to President Trump.
Additionally, she is considering gifting golf clubs used by former Prime Minister Abe, according to the wishes of Akie Abe. Takahashi hopes to inherit the trust relationship between Abe and Trump through activities like playing golf.
The second issue is trade between Japan and the U.S. On October 20, Trump stated to reporters, "We have reached a very fair trade agreement with Japan." He cited Japan as an example of correcting unfair trade practices towards the U.S. It is expected that during this visit and the Japan-U.S. summit, he will again assert that Japan has promised approximately $550 billion (about 8.3 trillion yen) in investments to the U.S. in exchange for reduced tariffs, which is one of his significant achievements. The Japan-U.S. governments are coordinating to draft a joint document confirming both sides will fulfill the previous consensus on tariff negotiations during Trump's visit from October 27 to 29. According to Japanese government sources, Trump is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Takahashi Asako on October 28, and both sides are coordinating to hold a ceremony where the two heads of state will sign the Japan-U.S. trade agreement.
The Japan-U.S. governments have already issued a joint statement on the tariff negotiations on September 4 and published a memorandum of understanding on Japan's investment in the U.S. Regarding Japan's $550 billion (about 81 trillion yen) investment in the U.S., it is said that the profit-sharing ratio between Japan and the U.S. is 1:9, with the U.S. gaining 90% of the benefits. During her campaign for the LDP president, Takahashi Asako stated that if the Japan-U.S. tariff and investment agreement under the previous cabinet (Ishiba Cabinet) did not serve Japan's interests, it should be clearly raised in Japan-U.S. consultations. However, the issue of Japan's investment in the U.S. is a very sensitive matter.
This time, the Japan-U.S. tariff agreement, where the U.S. agreed to lower tariffs, was due to Japan's commitment to invest $550 billion in the U.S. The U.S. claims that 90% of the benefits from this $550 billion investment go to the U.S. Regarding the $550 billion investment plan, the former Japanese Minister of Economic Revitalization, now Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Akira Akazawa, stated on NHK television program on July 26 that only about 1-2% of the $550 billion belongs to actual investment, while the rest will be provided by Japanese policy financial institutions through loans or loan guarantees. The term "the U.S. gains 90% of the benefits" refers to the portion of the investment. Although Japan initially proposed a 5:5 profit-sharing ratio, the final agreement adopted Trump's insistence on a 1:9 distribution. Akazawa emphasized, "The loss we suffered from the change in profit distribution is at most hundreds of billions of yen 'tail numbers,' but the losses avoided through tariff reductions could reach up to 10 trillion yen."
However, the U.S. explanation is completely different. On August 5, President Trump explained to CNBC during a phone interview about the Japan-U.S. agreement on Japan's $550 billion investment in the U.S., saying, "It's like a signing bonus received by a baseball player." He emphasized, "That's our money, and we can invest it as we see fit."
Akazawa Akira reiterated on October 1 that only 1 to 2% of the $550 billion belongs to actual investment, with the rest being loans and guarantees. He also said that Washington "does not particularly care about the difference between investment, loans, and guarantees."
He told the media, "I don't think there are any differences of opinion between the two sides. To avoid misunderstandings, the U.S. proposed a memorandum, and Japan responded accordingly, and finally both sides signed the document." However, although the memorandum signed by the Japan-U.S. governments does not explicitly require immediate payment but states that the funds will be "irregularly" paid, the memorandum also stipulates that once the U.S. selects the investment projects, Tokyo must provide the required funds within 45 days, otherwise higher tariffs may be imposed.
It is reported that Japan is following Akazawa's approach and plans to propose multiple candidate projects for U.S. investment and financing at the summit meeting between Prime Minister Takahashi Asako and U.S. President Trump on October 28, while conveying Japan's intention to purchase U.S. products such as soybeans, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and Ford cars.
However, there is a discrepancy between Akazawa's explanation and Trump's view of this investment as "like a signing bonus received by a baseball player." Whether Japan can get Trump to agree with its ideas in this Japan-U.S. summit meeting is a major point of interest.
The third issue is that Trump, who emphasizes "America First," believes that Japan needs to buy a large amount of U.S. weapons to prevent U.S. military personnel from losing their lives, which is a key U.S. interest. He often says that the Japan-U.S. security alliance is "unfair," but the essence of the Japan-U.S. security alliance is that Japan provides land, and together with the U.S., maintains stability in East Asia. Former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo and Ishiba Shigeru have repeatedly explained this to him, but he has never understood it, or pretended not to understand. This way of insisting on his own views and ignoring opposing explanations is a typical "Trump-style diplomatic method." The U.S. Department of Defense also stated that Asian allies, including Japan, "need to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Takahashi Asako expressed in her policy speech that the goal of increasing defense spending to 2% of GDP would be "advanced by two years, and measures will be taken this year to achieve it." The Japanese government set in its National Security Strategy in 2022 that the total defense spending over five years until fiscal year 2027 would be 43 trillion yen, and gradually increase by about 1 trillion yen annually, ultimately raising defense spending to 2% of GDP. Takahashi Asako will advance this goal, possibly as a "gift" for Trump, but it is unknown whether Trump will demand a higher target, such as setting an annual defense spending goal of 5% of GDP as in Europe. This is another point of interest in the Japan-U.S. summit meeting.
The fourth issue is that U.S. Treasury Secretary Brian Deese revealed on the 15th that he expressed the hope of the Trump administration that Japan would stop importing energy from Russia when he met with Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato (at that time). When journalists asked Kato whether Deese urged Japan to stop importing Russian energy, Kato said that Japan would take action as much as possible according to the basic principle of "cooperating with the G7 to achieve a just peace in Ukraine." It is unknown whether Trump will mention this topic during his visit to Japan, given that Moscow currently does not accept Trump's peace initiative.
The fifth issue is that Trump plans to meet with China during his visit to South Korea on the 30th. The topics of the meeting are expected to include issues related to security, such as restrictions on rare earth exports. He hopes to use the close relationship with the Takahashi administration to gain an advantage in negotiations with China, so these issues will also be involved in the negotiations.
The sixth issue is to reaffirm the realization of the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" concept. This concept was initiated by Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in 2016 and is a key objective emphasized by the Quad (U.S., Japan, India, and Australia). On October 25, Takahashi Asako stated during a telephone conversation with Trump that Japan is an important country for the U.S. strategy toward China and the Indo-Pacific strategy. She expressed her desire to jointly promote the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" concept, and this summit meeting will confirm whether Trump, who advocates "America First," still has interest in this concept and promote the U.S. deep involvement in Asian issues.
Additionally, on the 25th, Takahashi Asako sent a message to the Japan-U.S. government officials' meeting held in Tokyo, emphasizing that the upcoming visit of U.S. President Trump to Japan on the 27th is "an opportunity to deepen the mutual trust between the two heads of state and further elevate the alliance relationship to a higher level." In her message, she mentioned the increasingly severe security environment in Japan, pointing out the necessity of strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance. She stated that during the summit meeting with President Trump scheduled for the 28th, in addition to discussing issues in the Indo-Pacific region, they will also discuss the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine, and express the intention to "further deepen cooperation through open exchanges of opinions."
According to sources from the White House on the 24th, the plan being coordinated by Japan and the U.S. shows that after the meeting with Prime Minister Takahashi Asako on the 28th, President Trump will share a U.S. presidential helicopter "Marine One" from the U.S. military helipad in Tokyo to the Yokosuka Naval Base, jointly inspecting the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "George H.W. Bush" based at Yokosuka Naval Base. It is extremely rare for a foreign leader to ride in "Marine One" with the U.S. President, and this move will become an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Source: rfi
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7565849289612673570/
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