US President Donald Trump opened his visit to Japan on Monday by greeting the emperor, a day before his meeting with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi, who is counting on building a friendly personal relationship with the American leader to ease trade tensions.
One of the keys to this strategy may lie in the idea put forward by the Japanese government to purchase a fleet of Ford F-150 trucks, a meaningful gesture that may also be impractical given the narrow streets of Tokyo and other Japanese cities.
It is an early diplomatic test for Takaishi, Japan’s first female leader. She only took office last week, and has a fragile coalition supporting her.
Trump was immediately sold on the idea of Ford trucks as he headed to Asia on Air Force One.
“She has good taste,” Trump told reporters. “This is a hot truck.”
Japanese Emperor Naruhito received Trump at the Imperial Palace after the president’s arrival, and they spoke for about 30 minutes. Trump straightened his jacket as he stood next to Naruhito for photos before sitting down at a round table, with flowers in the middle, for their talks.
“Great man!” He said twice, pointing at the Emperor. Trump last saw the emperor in 2019, shortly after Naruhito ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne, becoming the first foreign high-ranking figure to be invited to the palace.
Trump and Takaishi spoke by phone while the president was mid-flight on Saturday. Takaishi stressed her status as a protégé of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a favorite of Trump since his first term, and said she praised him for brokering a ceasefire in Gaza that led to the return of hostages held by Hamas.
“I thought (Trump) was a very fun and cheerful person,” she said. “He knows me well, and said he remembers me as a politician that (former) Prime Minister Abe really cared about,” she added. “I told the President that I very much look forward to welcoming him to Tokyo.”
Trump spent Sunday in Malaysia, where he participated in a regional summit, and left Monday morning for Japan. While aboard Air Force One on Monday, he said he planned to speak in Tokyo about the “great friendship” between the United States and Japan.
Reset the business relationship
Beneath the hospitality is the search for a strategy to deal with the increasingly complex trade relationship that Trump rocked earlier this year with tariffs.
Trump wants allies to buy more American goods as well as make financial commitments to build factories and energy infrastructure in the United States
The meetings in Japan come before Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea.
Both the United States and Japan have sought to limit China’s manufacturing ambitions, as the emergence of Chinese electric cars, artificial intelligence, and advanced computer chips could undermine the American and Japanese economies.
“In light of the scheduled meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping soon after, Trump may also be considering how to strengthen his hand by demonstrating the strength of the US-Japan relationship,” said Christy Govella, head of the Japan section at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
The previous Japanese administration in September agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States, prompting Trump to reduce his threatened 25% tariff on Japanese goods to 15%. But Japan wants the investments to benefit Japanese vendors and contractors.
Japanese Economy and Trade Minister Ryusei Akazawa said his ministry is compiling a list of projects in the field of computer chips and energy to try to achieve the investment target.
“As far as I know, I hear that there are a number of Japanese companies showing interest,” he told reporters on Friday, but did not provide further details.
Ford Trucks in Tokyo will be a powerful symbol
Japanese officials are studying the possibility of purchasing more American soybeans, liquefied natural gas and cars. The US-China trade conflict has shut US soybeans off the Chinese market, prompting China to look for more Brazilian supplies. China did not announce any US soybean imports in September, the first since November 2018.
For Trump, the prospect of having Ford trucks on the skyscraper streets of Tokyo would be a win. The administration has long complained about preventing American cars from entering the market, which is home to Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Subaru. In a September interview on CNBC, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Japan would not buy American-branded cars because Chevy cars were too popular with Japanese gangsters.
Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported that Takaishi may arrange to display the Ford F-150 trucks in a place where Trump can see them. The government is considering importing trucks for the Ministry of Transport for use in inspecting roads and infrastructure, although there are concerns that the F-150 could cause congestion on narrow Japanese streets.
“We appreciate President Trump’s defense of American-made products,” Ford spokesman Dave Tovar said. “We will be excited to offer America’s best-selling truck to work and government customers in Japan.”
Japanese media reported that Toyota Motor Company Chairman Akio Toyoda may announce plans to import his company’s American-made cars to Japan during a dinner with Trump and other business leaders on Wednesday.
These gestures – along with Takaishi’s connection to Abe – should help her deal with Trump, who seems inclined to like her.
“I think it’s going to be great,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “She is a great friend of Mr. Abe, who was a great man.”
In 2016, Abe gave Trump a high-end golf club to celebrate his first election, and a relationship developed between the leaders over their love of golf. Trump often expresses sadness over Abe’s assassination in 2022.
But Rintaro Nishimura, a Japan specialist at consulting firm The Asia Group, said there were risks for Takaishi in emphasizing her ties with Abe.
“Because it is Takaichi’s first diplomatic engagement, I think she wants to start with some kind of hype,” Nishimura said. “The success of Abe’s handwriting will certainly be part of that engagement, although some also point out that relying too heavily on Abe’s handwriting may not be entirely beneficial for her to create her own kind of portfolio and position her as the leader of Japan.”
After his meeting with Takaishi on Tuesday, Trump will deliver a speech aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier docked in Japan, then hold a dinner with business leaders. Trump plans to go to South Korea on Wednesday.
But on Air Force One on Monday, he told reporters that he was also willing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, if that was an option.
Trump said: “If he wants us to meet, I will be in South Korea.”
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