Japan and the US are essential defence allies and each other's top foreign financiers

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for annunciogratis.net the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's 2nd top with a foreign leader because his go back to the White House.

Japan is one of the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.

Ishiba will be pressing for reassurance on the significance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" agenda threats encroaching on the nations' trade and defence ties.

"It would be terrific if we might verify that we will interact for the development this area and the world and for peace," Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the trip.

Japan's Nikkei newspaper said Thursday the pair will issue a joint declaration, which could vow to develop a "golden age" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "brand-new heights".

Ishiba is anticipated to tell Trump that Japan will increase defence purchases from the United States, the Nikkei said.

Ishiba might also propose importing more US gas-- chiming with Trump's plan to "drill, child, drill" while enhancing energy security for resource-poor Japan.

Since Japan has cut its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "desperately requires to open up brand-new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, informed AFP.

"The intent is to present a win-win worth proposal from Ishiba to the president," she said.

Trump will meet Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- just days after a joint interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president stimulated outcry with a proposal to take over the Gaza Strip.

The Japan top could be less stunning, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong commitment to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan threat -

Ishiba has actually worried the importance of US defence ties, pointing to threats on Japan's doorstep such as China pressing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo must "continue to protect the US dedication to the area, to avoid a power vacuum resulting in regional instability", Ishiba recently informed parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are anticipated to verify the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese media said.

That would echo joint statements made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.

Focusing on this point is "extremely important" since Japan and the United States need to interact to prevent a prospective crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a worldwide relations specialist at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and wiki.vifm.info the United States renegotiate how to share the concern of defence costs, however, there are concerns Trump might supply less money and push Japan to do more, Smith said.

"That's where ... the Ishiba-Trump relationship could get a bit sticky," she said.

- After Abe -

Also causing jitters is Trump's determination to slap trade tariffs on major trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has actually delayed procedures against the latter two countries pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will reveal him there are other methods to attain financial security," such as complying on technology, Shiraishi informed AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, revealed after Trump's January inauguration, sitiosecuador.com to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the United States, led by Japanese tech leviathan SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.

Reports said the leaders might likewise go over Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid to purchase US Steel, which Biden blocked on nationwide security grounds.

Japan and the United States are each other's leading foreign investors, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will concur on creating an investment-friendly environment.

During his very first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe took pleasure in warm relations.

As president-elect in December, Trump likewise hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a dinner with Melania Trump at their Florida home.

Trump built a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith believes he had a "authentic fondness".

He will likely "see Ishiba through a different lens", said Smith, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the individual".

Ishiba, 68, will not be the very first Japanese VIP to satisfy the 78-year-old Trump personally since he took office-- a difference held by SoftBank creator Masayoshi Son.