Tokyo
—
Sanae Takaichi said that a few months before she was sworn in as Japan’s prime minister, she was invited to a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
She posted on X’s official account in November, shortly after Trump won the election and several people close to Trump encouraged her to visit Washington.
But she refused, insisting that then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba should be the first Japanese lawmaker to meet with the new American leader.
“However, I would like to do my best and aim to be in a position where I can meet her openly someday.”
That “someday” has arrived.
Takaichi’s first big test on the world stage will come as he heads to the ASEAN summit in Malaysia and the APEC meeting in South Korea. These trips will reveal just how much of Takaichi’s trademark conservative rhetoric is carried into his administration. But the most notable moment will come during the summit, when President Trump visits Tokyo for an audience with Emperor Naruhito and meets with Takaichi for the first time on Tuesday.
President Trump highly praised Takaichi aboard Air Force One, bound for Asia.
The two sides spoke by phone on Saturday, with President Trump calling the call “very good.” “She’s amazing, beautiful and very friendly,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One after the call.
The stakes are high for Japan’s new leader. The Japan-U.S. alliance is one of the strongest in the world, but Takaichi’s lack of diplomatic experience and Trump’s unpredictability will make their first meeting a significant test.
The talks between the two leaders are expected to address all the issues that have heightened tensions in recent months, including tariffs, regional security and Japan’s defense spending. Some in Japan’s conservative ruling party worry that U.S. commitment to the Indo-Pacific is waning as it makes more demands on its allies.
Takaichi faces his own challenges at home. Her Liberal Democratic Party is still recovering from a corruption scandal, and her performance overseas could shape both her political future and the party’s recovery. Her approval rating is high at 71%, and the team hopes to maintain this number.
Defense will be the top priority.
Under former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan pledged to raise defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027. Mr. Takaichi now wants to push that schedule forward to March 2026, and in his first speech in Japan’s Diet, he called on Japan to “actively proceed with the fundamental strengthening of its defense capabilities.” However, it remains unclear how the construction will be financed. She may struggle to fund her ambitions as the yen weakens and Mr. Takaichi pushes for tax cuts.
Trade could be similarly troubling. Since returning to office, President Trump has reignited tariff wars, even targeting longtime allies. After months of talks, tariffs on Japanese goods were lowered from 25% to 15%, while the Japanese government agreed to invest $550 billion in U.S. industry. However, many details are unclear, and Takaichi is expected to seek further clarification.
Introducing Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister.
She also brought in veterans to help her navigate Washington. Her new cabinet includes Yoshio Akazawa, the negotiator who led the recent tariff talks, and several former aides from former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration who had strong ties with President Trump.
“It’s a clear message to domestic and international audiences that she is trying to inherit Mr. Abe’s way of thinking, rather than Mr. Kishida’s or Mr. Ishiba’s,” said Rintaro Nishimura, a senior associate at consulting firm Asia Group in Tokyo.
Energy is also expected to surface. Japan still imports about 10% of its liquefied natural gas from Russia, but the U.S. government wants to curb this dependence. The Japanese government has pledged to reduce dependence, but says a sudden cut-off could threaten energy security.
Mr. Takaichi’s handling of regional relations will also determine his success with Mr. Trump.
She has long been known for her hard-line views. It criticizes China’s growing military presence in the region and takes a conservative, nationalist tone on past issues with South Korea, where Japan’s history of colonialism and wartime sexual slavery still affects relations to this day. Her visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which neighboring countries see as paying homage to Japan’s past war invasions, has also angered both countries.
But since taking office, she has signaled a softer approach.
At her inaugural press conference as prime minister, she praised some of her best-known exports and sought to allay concerns about her anti-Korean stance.
“It seems like there are a lot of concerns, but I love Korean seaweed. I also use Korean-made cosmetics and watch Korean dramas,” she said. Maintaining a positive relationship with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung would continue the gridiron foreign policy encouraged by Washington, which favors multilateral cooperation among like-minded countries over bilateral dependence.
Nishimura said, “There is a growing understanding that cooperation between Japan and South Korea is necessary in this uncertain world.” “A deepened defense relationship between these two U.S. allies would help reduce the burden on the United States in the region.”
China may be the most difficult balance for Takaichi to strike.
Misako Iwamoto, a professor emeritus at Mie University who specializes in political science and women’s studies, says, “Japan is walking a tightrope between the United States and China.”
What does Japan’s first female leader mean for Japanese women?
China remains Japan’s largest trading partner. Past leaders, such as Yukio Hatoyama in 2009, have moved closer to China, prompting a backlash from the U.S. government.
“However, unlike Hatoyama, Mr. Takaichi is seen as staunchly right-wing,” Iwamoto said. “If she can improve relations with China in a way that doesn’t seem anti-American, it might not cause as much friction.”
Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Gaoichi have taken a hawkish stance toward the Chinese government, particularly Taiwan. Earlier this year, Gaoichi visited Taiwan and called for “cooperation with Taiwan to jointly address defense challenges.” Beijing condemned the visit as a “dangerous provocation” and warned that Japan was “at a crossroads” under the prime minister’s leadership.
Even before her election, tensions had been rising between the two neighboring countries. Chinese vessels have stepped up activity around the disputed Senkaku Islands (known in China as the Diaoyu Islands), while Japan’s 2022 defense document formally identified China as the “top security threat” for the first time.
In his first press conference as prime minister, Takaichi pledged to take Japan-U.S. relations to “new heights” and called the Japan-U.S. alliance “the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign and security policy.” She ended her speech with the sharp words, “We don’t have time to stand still.”
she’s right. Takaichi is diving into a sea of challenges, from restoring domestic confidence to finding Japan’s balance between Washington and China. How she navigates them could not only define her position as prime minister but also subtly shape the tone and depth of the Japan-U.S. partnership for years to come.
