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

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

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

Ishiba will be pushing for peace of mind on the value of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" program threats intruding on the nations' trade and defence ties.

"It would be wonderful if we might affirm that we will collaborate for the advancement this region and the world and for peace," Ishiba told press reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the journey.

Japan's Nikkei paper said Thursday the pair will release a joint statement, which could vow to build a "golden era" 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 likewise propose importing more US natural gas-- chiming with Trump's strategy to "drill, child, drill" while enhancing energy security for resource-poor Japan.

Since Japan has cut its liquefied gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "frantically needs to open up 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 provide a win-win value proposition from Ishiba to the president," she said.

Trump will satisfy Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- simply days after a joint interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president sparked outcry with a proposition to take over the Gaza Strip.

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

- Taiwan threat -

Ishiba has stressed the value of US defence ties, indicating threats on Japan's doorstep such as China pushing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo should "continue to secure the US commitment to the area, to prevent a power vacuum causing local instability", Ishiba recently told parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are anticipated to verify the significance 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 "very important" since Japan and the United States need to interact to prevent a prospective crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a global relations professional at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and annunciogratis.net the United States renegotiate how to share the burden of defence expenses, however, systemcheck-wiki.de there are concerns Trump could offer less cash and push Japan to do more, Smith said.

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

- After Abe -

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

"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other ways to attain economic security," such as complying on technology, Shiraishi informed AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, revealed after Trump's January inauguration, vmeste-so-vsemi.ru to invest approximately $500 billion in AI facilities in the United States, led by Japanese tech investment behemoth SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.

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

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

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

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

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

He will likely "see Ishiba through a various 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 fulfill the 78-year-old Trump face to face since he took workplace-- a difference held by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.