Takaichi’s 1st U.S. Visit as Japanese Prime Minister Eyed for March; Seeks to Explain Japan’s Side of Issues Involving China

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:46 JST, December 26, 2025

The Japanese and U.S. governments are arranging for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to visit the United States early next year, her first such visit since taking office, to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Japanese government sources.

The Japanese government is seeking to have the visit take place in March, the sources said. As Japan-China relations have deteriorated following a remark made by Takaichi during a Diet session about a possible Taiwan contingency, the Japanese and U.S. leaders are expected to affirm the two countries’ commitment to deepening their alliance and close cooperation.

“I want to meet with [President Trump] as soon as possible, so we are making arrangements now,” Takaichi said during a speech in Tokyo on Thursday. “I imagine it will be sometime early next year.”

Trump is scheduled to visit China in April next year for a U.S.-China summit. China could put its relationship with Japan on the agenda during the summit, so the Japanese government aims in advance to obtain Trump’s understanding of its positions on issues connected to this relationship.

In the speech, Takaichi also expressed her willingness to enter dialogue with China, saying, “Communication is important at all levels, including between leaders.”

Given the increasingly severe security environment, Japan plans to revise its three security documents, including the National Security Strategy, by the end of next year. If the Japan-U.S. summit takes place, Takaichi is expected to explain that Tokyo intends to strengthen its defense capabilities further based on these revisions. She is also thought likely to confirm the steady implementation of the agreement reached between the two countries over U.S. tariffs.

Japan to seek alignment on China

Takaichi’s aims for her envisaged visit to the United States include aligning the two countries’ views on China. Before Trump meets with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, possibly in April, Tokyo wants to confirm its solidarity with Washington.

In her speech on Thursday, Takaichi said, “The U.S. government has repeatedly demonstrated its unwavering commitment to the alliance.”

The hoped-for Japan-U.S. summit would be the second in-person meeting between Takaichi and Trump, following one held in Tokyo this October.

While showing understanding toward Japan regarding the Japan-China confrontation, the Trump administration has notably avoided criticizing Beijing, as it places importance on maintaining stable economic relations with China. Takaichi apparently wants to meet with Trump before his planned summit with Xi in April in order to display close cooperation between Japan and the United States.

“She will have to demonstrate that the Japan-U.S. alliance is different in quality from the U.S.-China relationship,” a government source said.

Takaichi’s envisaged visit to the United States in March would coincide with a period of intensifying budget battles between the ruling and opposition parties. However, the Democratic Party for the People, which has reached an agreement with the Liberal Democratic Party on raising the so-called annual income barrier, the threshold at which income tax is imposed, has indicated that it will cooperate to pass the budget proposal for fiscal 2026 in the Diet. In light of this, the government appears to have determined that conditions for Takaichi to visit the United States in March have been met.

Takaichi stressed in the speech her intention, in dealing with China, to “continue communication and respond appropriately from the perspective of protecting Japan’s national interests, honor and the lives of its people.”

“Various channels for dialogue with China are open. We are not closing the door for that,” she added.