Trump promotes

President Trump signed a trade deal with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, as he focuses on solidifying deals with key U.S. trading partners during his nearly weeklong trip to Asia.

The deal, which the two countries agreed to over the summer, will see the position of the united states Tariffs of 15% on imported Japanese products, lower than the 25% initially threatened by Trump. In return, Japan has pledged to invest $550 billion in American industry and open its market to American rice, automobiles and defense equipment. It’s still unclear exactly where those invested dollars would go.

Trump and Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female prime minister last week, also signed a framework requiring the United States and Japan to cooperate on mutual supplies of critical minerals and rare earth metals. Trump has sought mineral deals with countries like Australia and Ukraine in recent months, as China imposes new restrictions on its exports of rare earths, which are essential for computer chips, aerospace and other technologies, as part of a tit-for-tat trade war with Washington.

During brief remarks to reporters before the signing ceremony Tuesday morning, Trump touted the trade deal as “very fair.”

“I think together we are going to do tremendous trade than ever before,” he said, calling Japan an “ally at the strongest level.”

Japan is the United States’ fifth largest trading partner, according to federal statistics. Japan bought $79.7 billion worth of American goods last year, and the United States imported $148.2 billion worth of Japanese goods.

More than a third of U.S. imports from Japan last year (or $52.3 billion) were cars and auto parts, driven by Japan’s huge auto industry, according to federal data.

The American and Japanese leaders, whose countries share a rivalry with China, also discussed defense cooperation, and Trump thanked Japan for its arms requests from the United States.

During their meeting, which was held at Tokyo’s Akasaka Palace guest house, Takaichi called the bilateral relationship the “world’s greatest alliance” and said he would like to work with the United States toward a “shared goal of achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

It was Trump’s first meeting with Takaichi, a staunch conservative who took office last week. She was close to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a friend of Trump until his murder in 2022.

“He was a great friend of mine and a great friend of his,” the US president said as he shook Takaichi’s hand on Tuesday. Their meeting came just hours after a court hearing in Tokyo during which Abe’s killer pleaded guilty to murdering the former prime minister with a homemade weapon.

In a moment of levity, Takaichi apologized to reporters for starting the meeting late, saying he was watching Game 3 of the World Series. Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is originally from Japan and has a large following in his home country. After a thrilling 18-inning contest, Los Angeles pulled ahead for a 6-5 victory.

Trump and Takaichi visit troops on USS George Washington

Later Tuesday, Trump landed by helicopter with Takaichi aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base, south of Tokyo, and they greeted service members before the prime minister and president delivered remarks to the troops.

Trump was heard praising Takaichi and predicting that she would “go down in history as one of the great prime ministers.”

The Japanese leader was the first to stand at a lectern on the massive ship to speak to the assembled troops, of whom the White House said numbered about 6,000.

He thanked U.S. forces in Japan for their dedication to peace in the region and mentioned that six years ago in the same city, Trump and his predecessor, the late Abe, met and “demonstrated the determination that Japan and the United States will join hands to ensure peace and security.”

He said he had renewed determination to “carry that outcome forward” and make the Indo-Pacific free and open.

“We now face an unprecedented security environment,” Takaichi said. “Peace cannot be preserved” through conflict alone, he added. “It can only be protected when there is unwavering determination and action.”

As Trump took the podium, he praised the American forces gathered before him, as well as the strength of the American military. Like the United States Federal government shutdown nears month markTrump said that all troops present would receive full pay for their deployment despite having to return to port to attend his visit.

He mentioned immigration and the controversial deployment of US National Guard forces to American cities and said: “We need safe cities; whether people like it or not, that’s what we’re doing.”

Trump also mentioned the US. Strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, saying each ship had enough drugs to kill 25,000 people and stating that the attacks had “almost completely stopped the arrival of drugs by sea, and now we will stop the arrival of drugs by land.”

Following his appearance on the ship, President Trump was due to return to Tokyo to attend a reception of business leaders on Tuesday evening.

On Monday, the president met with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the imperial palace in Tokyo.

Trump to visit South Korea next, meet China’s Xi Jinping

South Korea is the next and final stop on the president’s trip, which began over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a visit marked by trade frameworks between the United States and Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

On the South Korea front, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that he does not expect to finalize a trade deal with the country when the US president visits on Wednesday, but said he believes they are close. Mr. Trump and the South Korean government announced a framework over the summer that was similar to Japan’s deal, with 15% tariffs on South Korean goods and investments promised in the US.

The multi-stop trip through Asia will culminate with a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, as they seek to end ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China.

On his way to Tokyo, Mr. Trump provided The United States and China would complete a trade deal before he returns to Washington later this week. The two sides have had a difficult relationship in recent months. the president threatened to impose an additional 100% tariff on imports from China (for a total rate of 140%) starting Saturday, November 1, attacking new export restrictions imposed by Beijing.

On his way to Tokyo, Trump also said that I would like to know with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, although there are no such plans for a meeting.