NEW YORK, Sept 23 – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday to demonstrate the strength of bilateral relations, just a day before Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for his first state visit in 11 years.
During a meeting in New York, Takaichi and Trump agreed to work closely on “various issues concerning China, including economic security” and to further enhance the Japan-U.S. alliance’s deterrence and response capabilities, the Japanese government said.
In front of the press ahead of her closed-door discussions with Trump, Takaichi told him that the security environment in Asia is becoming increasingly severe, and that she wanted to show the world “how robust our alliance is through holding another round of meetings.”
Takaichi’s roughly 35-minute meeting with Trump, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, was intended to coordinate on China and align strategies of mutual interest before his summit with Xi at the White House on Thursday, Japanese officials said.
“Thanks to Donald’s leadership and also my own leadership, our bilateral economic security cooperation in areas such as AI, semiconductors and critical minerals has been steadily advancing,” Takaichi said.
Trump also praised his counterpart, saying, “She’s done a great job” and that he has been keeping a close eye on her high approval ratings.
“The industry in Japan is doing very well. The country is doing very well. It’s a very big improvement, and it’s an honor to be with her,” Trump said.
“She’s a friend of mine. We got to know each other very well over the last period of time,” he said of Japan’s first female premier, who took office nearly a year ago. “She’s going to be a great prime minister.”
The meeting was their first since March, when she visited the U.S. capital. They spoke for about five minutes on the margins of a Group of Seven summit in June in France.
Japan and China have been in a diplomatic freeze since Takaichi suggested in November that an attack on Taiwan could constitute an existential threat to her country and warrant a response from its armed forces.
Infuriated by her statement, China, which views Taiwan as part of its territory, has since unleashed a series of political and economic reprisals against Japan, including export restrictions on rare earths needed to manufacture various high-tech products.
China has shown no sign of easing tensions with Japan, with Beijing prioritizing a managed detente with Washington. The Trump administration is concerned about the knock-on impact of the restrictions on U.S. supply chains.
Since returning to office as president in January 2025, Trump has already held face-to-face talks with Xi twice — in South Korea in late October and in Beijing in mid-May.
Before the first meeting, Trump visited Tokyo and spent many hours with Takaichi. Shortly after wrapping up his three-day state visit to the Chinese capital, Trump briefed her by phone on part of his discussions with Xi.
During their talks in New York, Takaichi and Trump also reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and had “a frank exchange of views” regarding the International Criminal Court, according to the government.
Tomoko Akane, the first Japanese national to head the ICC, is among its high-ranking officials targeted by the sanctions that freeze their assets in the United States.
The Trump administration has accused the ICC of encroaching on state sovereignty, aggressively pursuing a campaign to dismantle the Hague-based court.
A senior Japanese government official said Takaichi brought up recent developments related to the ICC and explained Japan’s position but declined to disclose specific details.
The official said Japan’s position is that it has “consistently supported the ICC to ensure the thorough implementation of the rule of law in the international community.”
Before meeting with Takaichi, Trump renewed his criticism of the ICC in his U.N. General Assembly speech.
“We will never allow U.S. service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us,” Trump said. “I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue Institution immediately.”
