ISTANBUL
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that US-Japan relations will reach unprecedented strength as he met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo.
"I have always had a great love of Japan and a great respect of Japan, and I will say that this will be a relationship that will be stronger than ever before," Trump said.
He pledged unwavering support to Tokyo, telling Takaichi the US will be there for "any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favors you need,” describing the two nations as allies "at the strongest level."
Trump also acknowledged that Japan is increasing its military capacity "very substantially," noting Washington has received "orders for a very large amount of new military equipment."
He said bilateral trade has reached historical levels as the two nations prepare to sign a new deal that is "very fair."
"I'd also like to congratulate you on being the first woman prime minister. That's a big deal," he said.
Takaichi said Tokyo “would like to realize a new golden age of the Japan-US alliance, where both Japan and the United States will become stronger and also more prosperous.”
She appreciated Trump’s “unwavering commitment towards peace and stability,” saying that in a short time, “the world started to enjoy more peace on the ground.”
The two countries “have developed the greatest alliance in the world, and together with you, Japan is ready to contribute towards peace and stability,” she added.
She also reiterated her stance on resorting to diplomacy “to protect Japan's own national interests” as well as expressing a readiness to advance further cooperation with Washington toward their “shared goal of achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Takaichi also committed to strengthening “Japan's national power, namely diplomacy, defense capabilities, economic power, technology, intelligence and human resources.”
She also announced that she is nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, NBC news reported. Trump was earlier nominated for the prize by several countries, including Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Cambodia.
The US and Japan signed two agreements covering alliance strengthening and critical minerals security following the meeting.
The first document implements an earlier agreement that would "help both countries to strengthen economic security, promote economic growth and thereby continuously lead to global prosperity," according to a White House statement.
The leaders instructed relevant ministers "to take further steps for a new golden age of the ever-growing US-Japan alliance."
The second agreement establishes a framework for securing critical minerals and rare earths supply through mining and processing.
The two nations plan to use economic policy tools and coordinated investment to accelerate the development of "diversified, liquid and fair markets" for critical materials.
The participants intend to mobilize government and private sector support including grants, guarantees, loans, equity, offtake arrangements and insurance.
Within six months, both countries plan to provide financial support to selected projects, generating products for delivery to the US, Japan and "like-minded countries."
A bilateral Mining, Minerals and Metals Investment Ministerial will convene within 180 days.
The two nations are also establishing a US-Japan Critical Minerals Supply Security Rapid Response Group to identify priority minerals, supply vulnerabilities and develop coordinated delivery plans.
Following the bilateral meeting, Trump and the US delegation met with the families of Japanese abducted by North Korea.
The US reaffirmed its support for Japan in resolving the abduction issue immediately, said the State Department.
Later Tuesday, Trump will visit the US naval base near Tokyo and tour the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington. He will later attend a meeting with Japanese business leaders.
After Japan, Trump will travel to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
