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Japan and the US are essential defence allies and each other's leading 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 one of the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the nation.

Ishiba will be promoting reassurance on the significance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" program dangers encroaching on the countries' 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 press reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the journey.

Japan's Nikkei paper said Thursday the pair will provide a joint declaration, utahsyardsale.com 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 buy from the United States, the Nikkei said.

Ishiba might also propose importing more US gas-- chiming with Trump's strategy to "drill, infant, 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 new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", users.atw.hu Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told AFP.

"The intention is to provide a win-win value proposal from Ishiba to the president," she said.

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

The Japan summit might be less shocking, Smith said, archmageriseswiki.com as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan threat -

Ishiba has worried the significance of US defence ties, parentingliteracy.com pointing to 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 dedication to the area, to prevent a power vacuum resulting in regional instability", Ishiba just recently told parliament.

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

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

Concentrating on this point is "very important" because Japan and the United States must work together to avoid a potential crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, a global relations expert at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the burden of defence expenses, nevertheless, there are issues Trump could supply less money and push Japan to do more, forum.altaycoins.com Smith said.

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

- After Abe -

Also triggering jitters is Trump's willingness to slap trade tariffs on significant trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has postponed steps against the latter two nations pending talks.

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

One example is the Stargate drive, announced after Trump's January inauguration, to invest as much as $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 also discuss 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 financiers, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will settle on creating 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 also hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a supper with Melania Trump at their Florida residence.

Trump developed a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith thinks he had a "real 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 first Japanese VIP to meet the 78-year-old Trump face to face considering that he took office-- a difference held by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.

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