Japan’s Takaichi prepares to lobby Trump for ‘Golden Dome’ cooperation, stability on trade and defense
Is this competence or optics?
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is heading to the White House this week, hoping to leave with assurance that President Donald Trump has her back on trade and international security.
The country’s first female prime minister has already proven her Trump-whisperer credentials during the president’s visit to the islands last year, where he praised her as a “bold and wise” ally. Now, she will need to iron out her country’s role in Trump’s vision for the future.
“The Japanese government is very aware of the exposure that their country has to the international system. Things like the ‘rules-based international order’ are not just theoretical or diplomatic concepts,” Kristi Govella, Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Washington Examiner. “They are actually seen as existential to the ability of the country to maintain a stable environment and to pursue its own national interest.”
President Donald Trump, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, speaks to members of the military aboard the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier docked at an American naval base, in Yokosuka, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
She continued: “So I think that the recent turn — not just in the U.S., but in many countries — towards economic nationalism or towards a focus on domestic interest is distressing for Tokyo.”
After winning a landslide victory earlier this year that put her Liberal Democratic Party in the driver’s seat, Takaichi now needs to deliver on the fundamental, kitchen-table issues facing the Japanese economy.
Japan was flabbergasted when the United States, its most important ally since the end of World War II, imposed steep tariffs on “Liberation Day” last year. Then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba described the situation as a “national crisis” due to the country’s reliance on U.S. markets.
The two governments eventually ironed out a more agreeable arrangement in September, bringing the tariffs down to 15% and committing Japan to invest approximately $550 billion in the U.S.
“The top priority is for Japan to demonstrate that they are an important partner who is contributing to the interests of the U.S. I think part of that is going to be through investment,” Govella explained, noting this would include “contribution to defense in various ways” such as “cooperation” on the “Golden Dome.”
Takaichi is expected to approach Trump about including Japan in the planned “Golden Dome” missile defense …
Is this competence or optics?
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is heading to the White House this week, hoping to leave with assurance that President Donald Trump has her back on trade and international security.
The country’s first female prime minister has already proven her Trump-whisperer credentials during the president’s visit to the islands last year, where he praised her as a “bold and wise” ally. Now, she will need to iron out her country’s role in Trump’s vision for the future.
“The Japanese government is very aware of the exposure that their country has to the international system. Things like the ‘rules-based international order’ are not just theoretical or diplomatic concepts,” Kristi Govella, Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Washington Examiner. “They are actually seen as existential to the ability of the country to maintain a stable environment and to pursue its own national interest.”
President Donald Trump, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, speaks to members of the military aboard the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier docked at an American naval base, in Yokosuka, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
She continued: “So I think that the recent turn — not just in the U.S., but in many countries — towards economic nationalism or towards a focus on domestic interest is distressing for Tokyo.”
After winning a landslide victory earlier this year that put her Liberal Democratic Party in the driver’s seat, Takaichi now needs to deliver on the fundamental, kitchen-table issues facing the Japanese economy.
Japan was flabbergasted when the United States, its most important ally since the end of World War II, imposed steep tariffs on “Liberation Day” last year. Then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba described the situation as a “national crisis” due to the country’s reliance on U.S. markets.
The two governments eventually ironed out a more agreeable arrangement in September, bringing the tariffs down to 15% and committing Japan to invest approximately $550 billion in the U.S.
“The top priority is for Japan to demonstrate that they are an important partner who is contributing to the interests of the U.S. I think part of that is going to be through investment,” Govella explained, noting this would include “contribution to defense in various ways” such as “cooperation” on the “Golden Dome.”
Takaichi is expected to approach Trump about including Japan in the planned “Golden Dome” missile defense …
Japan’s Takaichi prepares to lobby Trump for ‘Golden Dome’ cooperation, stability on trade and defense
Is this competence or optics?
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is heading to the White House this week, hoping to leave with assurance that President Donald Trump has her back on trade and international security.
The country’s first female prime minister has already proven her Trump-whisperer credentials during the president’s visit to the islands last year, where he praised her as a “bold and wise” ally. Now, she will need to iron out her country’s role in Trump’s vision for the future.
“The Japanese government is very aware of the exposure that their country has to the international system. Things like the ‘rules-based international order’ are not just theoretical or diplomatic concepts,” Kristi Govella, Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Washington Examiner. “They are actually seen as existential to the ability of the country to maintain a stable environment and to pursue its own national interest.”
President Donald Trump, with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, speaks to members of the military aboard the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier docked at an American naval base, in Yokosuka, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
She continued: “So I think that the recent turn — not just in the U.S., but in many countries — towards economic nationalism or towards a focus on domestic interest is distressing for Tokyo.”
After winning a landslide victory earlier this year that put her Liberal Democratic Party in the driver’s seat, Takaichi now needs to deliver on the fundamental, kitchen-table issues facing the Japanese economy.
Japan was flabbergasted when the United States, its most important ally since the end of World War II, imposed steep tariffs on “Liberation Day” last year. Then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba described the situation as a “national crisis” due to the country’s reliance on U.S. markets.
The two governments eventually ironed out a more agreeable arrangement in September, bringing the tariffs down to 15% and committing Japan to invest approximately $550 billion in the U.S.
“The top priority is for Japan to demonstrate that they are an important partner who is contributing to the interests of the U.S. I think part of that is going to be through investment,” Govella explained, noting this would include “contribution to defense in various ways” such as “cooperation” on the “Golden Dome.”
Takaichi is expected to approach Trump about including Japan in the planned “Golden Dome” missile defense …
