Takaichi, Trump Speak by Phone, Agree for Japan’s Prime Minister to Visit U.S. in Spring

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:00 JST, January 3, 2026

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed during a telephone conversation to begin specific arrangements for her to visit the United States this spring.

With Trump set to visit China in April, Japan aims to secure a March visit for Takaichi to showcase a rock-solid alliance to both domestic and global audiences.

Speaking to reporters at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence following the 25-minute conversation on Friday night, Takaichi revealed that Trump had once again extended an invitation for her to visit the United States.

“I believe it was extremely significant that, at the beginning of the year, I was able to speak directly with President Trump and confirm the strong coordination of the Japan-U.S. alliance,” she said.

The telephone call was reportedly requested by the Japanese side, with the United States proposing it take place Friday.

If realized, the trip will mark Takaichi’s first visit to the United States since she took office in October last year.

Amid strained Japan-China relations following her remark in the Diet that a possible Taiwan contingency could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, Takaichi intends to use the meeting to synchronize strategic views, aiming to ensure that Trump does not shift toward a conciliatory stance toward Beijing before his upcoming visit to China.

During Friday’s phone call, the two leaders exchanged views mainly on the Indo-Pacific region and confirmed “the close coordination between Japan and the United States under the current international situation,” she said.

They also likely exchanged views on China’s military drills carried out at the end of December around Taiwan. The two leaders also confirmed that they would jointly and vigorously promote cooperation among like-minded countries including Japan, the United States and South Korea, as well a free and open Indo-Pacific, she said.

Takaichi offered her congratulations on the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding this year. The two leaders also pledged to strengthen friendly relations and cooperation between Japan and the United States in various areas, including the economy and security.