Japan's new prime minister Sanae Takaichi takes office today, and her government is preparing a package of purchases including US pickup trucks, soybeans and liquefied natural gas, Reuters reports, reports News.bg.
The package will be presented to President Donald Trump during upcoming trade and security talks next week. However, Takaichi will not commit to new defense spending targets during the meeting, which comes amid pressure from Washington on Japan and other allies for greater military investment.
The two leaders will meet in Tokyo early next week, during Trump's first visit to Japan since his re-election. The meeting follows an agreement with former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba that would see Japan invest up to $550 billion in the United States in exchange for lower auto tariffs.
“The alliance with the United States is the cornerstone of Japan's foreign and security policy,“ Takaichi stressed at his first news conference. A successful meeting with Trump would bolster her young administration, which is ruling with a parliamentary minority, while also securing Washington's support for regional security policies.
The planned steps include buying American F-150 pickup trucks, a proposal by Trump, and increasing imports of U.S. soybeans, which have been hit by Beijing's restrictions. Although the large pickup trucks are unsuitable for typical Japanese roads, they can be used as snowplows.
Japan also plans to increase supplies of liquefied natural gas from the United States and present a list of candidate investment projects under the $550 billion deal that the two countries will review.
On defense, Takaichi said he would strengthen ties with the United States and signal the country's readiness to accelerate the construction of its defense capabilities beyond the 2 percent of GDP target set for 2027. The new prime minister intends to review the 2022 strategic documents that underpin Japan's biggest military expansion since World War II.
President Trump arrives in Japan next Monday and departs a day later. During the visit, he will meet with Emperor Naruhito and visit Malaysia and South Korea for ASEAN and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits.