Trump arrives in Japan to strengthen trade ties, meets new PM Sanae Takaichi

President Donald Trump arrives Monday in Japan where new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is banking on building a friendly personal relationship with the US leader to ease trade tensions One key to this strategy might lie in an idea floated by Japans government to buy a fleet of Ford F150 trucks a meaningful gesture that may also be impractical given the narrow streets in Tokyo and other Japanese citiesIts an early diplomatic test for Takaichi the first woman to lead Japan She took office only last week and has a tenuous coalition backing her Trump instantly bought into the idea of Ford trucks as he flew to Asia aboard Air Force One She has good taste Trump told reporters Thats a hot truckThe two spoke over the phone while Trump was midflight on Saturday Takaichi stressed her status as a protege of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a favorite of Trumps from his first term and said she praised him for brokering the Gaza ceasefire that led to the return of hostages held by HamasI thought Trump is a very cheerful and fun person she said He well recognizes me and said he remembers me as a politician whom former Prime Minister Abe really cared about she said And I told the president that I extremely look forward to welcoming him in TokyoResetting the trade relationshipBeneath the hospitality is the search for a strategy to navigate the increasingly complex trade relationship that Trump shook up earlier this year with tariffs Trump wants allies to buy more American goods and also make financial commitments to build factories and energy infrastructure in the US The meetings in a Japan come ahead of Trumps sitdown with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South KoreaBoth the US and Japan have sought to limit Chinas manufacturing ambitions as the emergence of Chinese electric vehicles artificial intelligence and advanced computer chips could undermine the American and Japanese economiesIn light of the planned meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping shortly afterward Trump may also be considering how he might strengthen his hand by demonstrating the robustness of the USJapan relationship said Kristi Govella Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies a Washington think tankJapans previous administration agreed in September to invest USD 550 billion in the US which led Trump to trim a threatened 25 per cent tariff on Japanese goods to 15 per cent But Japan wants the investments to favor Japanese vendors and contractorsJapans economy and trade minister Ryosei Akazawa has said his ministry is compiling a list of projects in computer chips and energy to try to meet the investment target As far as I know Im hearing that there are a number of Japanese companies that are showing interest he told reporters Friday though he did not give further detailsFord trucks in Tokyo would be a powerful symbolJapanese officials are looking at the possibility of buying more American soybeans liquefied natural gas and autos For Trump the prospect of Ford trucks in the skyscrapered streets of Tokyo would be a win The administration has long complained that American vehicles were being shut out of a market that is the home of Toyota Honda Nissan Isuzu Mitsubishi and Subaru In a September interview on CNBC Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Japan wouldnt buy USbranded vehicles because Chevys were popular with Japanese gangstersTakaichi may arrange for Ford F150 trucks to be showcased in a place Trump gets to see them Japans Nikkei newspaper reported The government is considering importing the trucks for its transport ministry to use for inspecting roads and infrastructure though there are concerns that the F150 could cause congestion on narrow Japanese streets A Ford spokesperson did not respond to a request for commentJapanese media have reported that Toyota Motor Corp Chairman Akio Toyoda could announce plans to import his companys Americanmade cars back to Japan during a dinner with Trump and other business leaders on Wednesday The gestures combined with Takaichis connection to Abe should help her deal with Trump who seems predisposed to like herI think shes going to be great Trump said aboard Air Force One Shes a great friend of Mr Abe who was a great man In 2016 Abe gave Trump a highend golf club to celebrate his first election and the leaders bonded over their love of golf Trump often expresses sadness about Abes 2022 assassination But there are risks for Takaichi in emphasizing her ties to Abe said Rintaro Nishimura who specialises in Japan at advisory firm The Asia GroupBecause its Takaichis first diplomatic engagement I think she wants to start with sort of a bang Nishimura said Succeeding the Abeline rhetoric is definitely going to be part of this engagement although some also suggest that leaning too heavily on the Abe line might not exactly be good for her for creating her own kind of portfolio her status as Japans leaderTrump lands in Tokyo on Monday meeting first with Japanese Emperor Naruhito After meeting with Takaichi on Tuesday he will give a speech aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier anchored in Japan and then hold a dinner with business leaders Trump plans to leave for South Korea on WednesdayThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever