Trump and Takaichi Affirm Strong U.S.-Japan Alliance Amid Trade Discussions

"...Inside a gold-drenched palace in Tokyo on Tuesday morning..."

"...The joint appearance, which bore all of the markings of one of Mr. Trump’s political rallies..."

"...The leaders signed two vaguely worded agreements..."

"...With both countries essentially agreeing to keep negotiating, Ms. Takaichi bought more time to strategize over how to spend the $550 billion her debt-strapped government has promised to invest as part of an earlier trade deal with the United States...."

"...During his speech at the Yokosuka Naval Base, the president said that the carmaker Toyota would be investing “over $10 billion” in American plants, but otherwise the day was short on details...."

"...Instead, both leaders focused more on what they had in common: A warm relationship with Mr. Abe...."

"...Ms. Takaichi is a protégé of his, and on Tuesday she seemed to have some success in using Mr. Abe’s playbook to handle a mercurial American president...."

"...She even used the same interpreter that Mr. Abe had deployed: a Foreign Ministry official that Mr. Trump had seemed fond of...."

"...During Mr. Trump’s visit to Tokyo in 2019, Mr. Abe treated the president to a round of golf, barbecue and a sumo match...."

"...Within minutes of meeting Mr. Trump, the new leader showed that she had closely studied Mr. Abe’s overtures...."

"...During the visit, she gave Mr. Trump a golf bag signed by Hideki Matsuyama, a Japanese professional golfer, and a putter that had belonged to Mr. Abe, along with a map of places within the United States that the Japanese plan to invest money, according to the White House...."

"...He seemed to have achieved that during a visit to the Akasaka Palace, where he and Ms. Takaichi bonded while catching a bit of the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers (a Japanese favorite and current home of their star player, Shohei Ohtani)...."

"...Later, the pair spoke warmly of each other before using gold pens to sign “JAPAN IS BACK” baseball hats...."

"...The two leaders met beneath a grand ceiling featuring a painting of Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn...."

"...They were joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick...."

"...Later, the pair toasted each other at lunch, where American rice was served alongside American beef — culinary reminders of the pressure the Trump administration has put on the Japanese to buy more American-made goods...."

"...Mr. Trump signed the menus afterward for the Japanese delegation, the White House said...."

"...Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that Ms. Takaichi had also nominated Mr. Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize...."

"...The president, who talks frequently about his work to end global conflicts, is fixated on winning the award...."

"...The Japanese government said it had no comment on whether it had nominated Trump, based on the Nobel committee’s principle of not making disclosures about the process...."

"...Mr. Abe had reportedly done the same during Mr. Trump’s first term...."

"...For his part, Mr. Trump struck a magnanimous tone with Ms. Takaichi, praising her for becoming the first woman to be elected prime minister of Japan, saying it was a “big deal.”..."

"...Mr. Trump promised that the United States would offer its help if she ever needed it — a sentiment at odds with his administration’s drastic reduction in aid and assistance to other countries...."

"...Later in the day, Washington and Tokyo said they would work together on shipbuilding...."

"...But there were no announcements on how Japan would invest in the United States, a key part of the trade deal the two countries reached in July...."