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Japan and the US are crucial 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 because his return 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 country.

Ishiba will be pressing for peace of mind on the significance of the US-Japan alliance, valetinowiki.racing as Trump's "America First" agenda dangers trespassing on the countries' trade and defence ties.

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

Japan's Nikkei newspaper said Thursday the pair will provide a joint statement, which might vow to construct a "golden era" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "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, baby, drill" while boosting energy security for resource-poor Japan.

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

"The intention is to present a win-win value proposition 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 triggered outcry with a proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip.

The Japan top might be less startling, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan hazard -

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

Tokyo must "continue to secure the US commitment to the region, to prevent a power vacuum leading to local instability", Ishiba recently informed 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 "extremely essential" because Japan and the United States should work together to avoid a prospective 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 problem of defence expenses, nevertheless, there are concerns Trump could provide less cash and push Japan to do more, complexityzoo.net 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, disgaeawiki.info and Mexico-- though he has actually postponed measures against the latter 2 countries pending talks.

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

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

Reports said the leaders might also talk about Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion quote to purchase US Steel, which Biden obstructed on nationwide security grounds.

Japan and library.kemu.ac.ke the United States are each other's top foreign investors, and the Nikkei reported that the will concur on developing an investment-friendly environment.

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

Trump constructed a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith thinks 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 personal".

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