Japan and the US are crucial defence allies and each other's leading foreign investors

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's second 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 workers stationed in the nation.

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

"It would be fantastic if we might affirm that we will work together for the advancement this region and the world and for peace," Ishiba informed reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the trip.

Japan's Nikkei paper said Thursday the pair will provide a joint statement, which could vow to construct a "golden age" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "new heights".

Ishiba is expected to inform Trump that Japan will increase defence buy from the United States, the Nikkei said.

Ishiba may also propose importing more US natural gas-- chiming with Trump's strategy to "drill, infant, drill" while increasing energy security for resource-poor Japan.

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

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

Trump will fulfill Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- simply days after a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president stimulated outcry with a proposition to take control of the Gaza Strip.

The Japan summit could be less surprising, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan hazard -

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

Tokyo needs to "continue to secure the US dedication to the region, to avoid a power vacuum leading to regional instability", Ishiba recently told parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are expected to affirm 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 "incredibly crucial" because Japan and the United States need to collaborate to avoid a potential crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a worldwide relations professional at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the burden of defence expenses, however, there are concerns Trump might provide 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 triggering jitters is Trump's desire to slap trade tariffs on major trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has postponed steps against the latter two countries pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will reveal him there are other ways to attain economic security," such as complying on innovation, Shiraishi told AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, revealed after Trump's January inauguration, 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 might likewise discuss Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid to buy US Steel, which Biden blocked on nationwide security premises.

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

During his very first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe delighted in 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 house.

Trump developed a strong relationship with Abe, for 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 personal".

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