Trump Win Praise, But No Movements on Trade in Japan

Inside a gold-drenched palace in Tokyo on Tuesday, President Trump heaped praise on Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s new prime minister, telling her that their countries were “allies at the strongest level” and vowing to come to Japan’s aide on “any favors you need.”

The leaders signed two vaguely worded agreements — one declaring a “new golden age of the US-Japan alliance,” and another to cooperate on expanding the supply chain for rare earth metals — but there was little sign of any breakthrough in the details of the trade deal both countries signed onto in July.

There was no public talk about a major point of contention between the two countries: the details of how Japan intends to spend a promised $550 billion investment into the United States. The promise came as part of the trade deal, and in return for the large investment, Japan was to receive a 15 percent tariff on its exports — a lower rate than Mr. Trump had initially threatened.

Instead, both leaders focused more on what they had in common: A warm relationship with Shinzo Abe, the former Japanese prime minister who was assassinated in 2022. Ms. Takaichi is a protégé of his, and the Tuesday meeting was considered a major test of how well she had studied Mr. Abe’s approach to handling a mercurial American president.

On his way into Tokyo, Mr. Trump had kept expectations reasonably low, telling reporters that he had plans to “just announce a great friendship” while in the Japanese capital. He seemed to have achieved this during a visit to the Akasaka Palace, where he and Ms. Takaichi bonded while catching a bit of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the LA Dodgers (a Japanese favorite and current home of their star player, Shohei Ohtani). Later, the pair spoke warmly of each other before signing “JAPAN IS BACK” baseball hats and toasting each other at lunch.

The two leaders met beneath a grand ceiling featuring a painting of Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, and was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

“Prime Minister Abe often told me about your dynamic diplomacy,” Ms. Takaichi told Mr. Trump during their meeting, citing the president’s work to broker a cease-fire between Cambodia and Thailand, and his work to do the same between Israel and Hamas. “I myself am so impressed and inspired by you, Mr. President.”

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, later said that Ms. Takaichi had 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.

“He spoke so well of you even before we knew what was going to happen and your ascension,” Mr. Trump said about Mr. Abe. “I’m not surprised to see that you are now the prime minister, and he would be very happy to know that.”

“I want to just let you know, anytime you have any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favors you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there,” Mr. Trump told Ms. Takaichi. “We are an ally at the strongest level.”

For Ms. Takaichi, the gesture of good will from the president bought her some much needed time: Japan, for now, seems to have avoided Mr. Trump’s ever-widening tariff spree. By signing a proclamation with Mr. Trump, Ms. Takaichi has more time to discuss how best to invest money into industries within the United States.

On the way to Tokyo, the president offered a few ideas for how that money could be spent, including an agreement to build more ships to counter Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, but no details of that plan, announced as part of the initial trade deal in July, were announced on Tuesday morning.

Along with the trade proclamation, the pair signed a framework to work together to build a supply chain and stockpile of critical minerals and rare earths, a sector dominated by China. Beijing recently tightened export controls on rare earth minerals, essential components of everything from semiconductor chips to fighter jets.

As part of his six-day swing through Asia, Mr. Trump is scheduled to meet with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, in South Korea on Thursday.

Mr. Trump was slated to speak later Tuesday to American troops at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan.