Politics & Government

Takaichi Presents Trump Cherry Tree Sapling; Japan Gifting U.S. 250 Trees to Commemorate 250th Anniversary

#Donald Trump #Japan-U.S. Summit #Sanae Takaichi

Courtesy of the Cabinet Public Affairs Office
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump, right, pose for a photo with a cherry tree sapling at the White House in Washington on Thursday.

By Kazuhiko Hori / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

17:29 JST, March 21, 2026

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi presented a cherry tree sapling to U.S. President Donald Trump before their summit on Thursday. A plan by Japan is underway to gift 250 cherry trees to the United States to mark the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence this year.

The 250 trees are to be planted around the Washington Monument. At the beginning of the banquet held as part of the meeting, Trump said the planting had already started.

“They will remind every future generation of our timeless bond,” Trump said.

Referring to then Tokyo City presenting cherry trees to Washington in 1912, Takaichi said, “In Washington, Japanese cherry blossoms have long heralded the arrival of spring and embodied the history of Japan-U.S. friendship.”