Newly elected conservative Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the first woman to hold that position, vowed to increase her country’s defense and security commitments during a meeting with President Donald Trump on the USS George Washington in Japan on Tuesday.
Takaichi joined Trump on the massive U.S. aircraft carrier in front of around 6,000 U.S. service members as Trump continued his week-long Asia tour, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“As the two commanders-in-chief of Japan and the United States stand together once again, I have renewed my determination … to make the Indo-Pacific free and open so that it will serve as the foundation of peace and prosperity for the entire region,” Takaichi told the crowd of U.S. military members. “Now, we are facing an unprecedented severe security environment. Peace cannot be preserved by words alone. It can be protected only when there is unwavering determination and action.”
Trump praised Takaichi, whom he called “a winner,” and said, “The cherished alliance between the United States and Japan is one of the most remarkable relationships in the entire world.”
“Born out of the ashes of a terrible war, our bond has grown over eight decades into the beautiful friendship that we have,” Trump added. “It’s the foundation of peace and security in the Pacific.”
“This woman is a winner!”@POTUS welcomes Japanese Prime Minister @takaichi_sanae on stage aboard the USS George Washington. pic.twitter.com/rzOsyQNPd8
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 28, 2025
Trump also said on Tuesday that he had just approved a “batch of missiles” for Japan’s F-35 fighter jets, which are set to arrive later this week. The president has been pushing U.S. allies worldwide to boost their defense spending as he seeks more favorable trade deals and security arrangements for the United States.
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to DailyWire.com/Subscribe to join now.
Last week, during Takaichi’s inaugural address as prime minister, she vowed to ramp up Japan’s defense spending more quickly. Instead of increasing defense spending to 2% of the country’s gross domestic product by 2027, Takaichi said she wants to jump to 2% by the end of the upcoming fiscal year in March, The Wall Street Journal reported. Japan currently spends 1.4% of its GDP on defense.
Japan’s new leader made the security spending promises as the United States and its allies face the continued Chinese threat in the region. Trump is set to meet with Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea, where he hopes to nail down a trade deal.
The Trump administration is also seeking to secure rare earth mineral supply chains to counter China’s stranglehold on critical minerals. Trump and Takaichi announced on Tuesday that they had reached a rare earth deal, which establishes a mutual stockpiling arrangement and stipulates that the United States and Japan will cooperate with international partners to protect the supply chain.
Japan and the United States also released a list of proposed projects to boost Japanese investment in the U.S. economy by more than $500 billion. The proposed investments included projects in the energy and artificial intelligence sectors.
.png)
.png)
