Japanese PM Takaichi faces her first big diplomatic test with Trump talks

Less than a week after taking charge, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo on Tuesday (October 29, 2025), with trade, investments, the U.S.-Japan security alliance and Indo-Pacific cooperation on the agenda.

The meeting will be watched closely in Delhi for any clarity between the two leaders on India’s plans to host the delayed Quad summit. In addition, Mr. Trump and Ms. Takaichi will fly together to the Yokosuka U.S. Naval base south of Tokyo, where the U.S. President is expected to deliver an address on board the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, George Washington, stationed with the American 7th fleet there. Mr. Trump’s itinerary invokes memories of his last visit to Japan in 2019, when he was hosted by former PM Shinzo Abe, Ms. Takaichi’s mentor, who was assassinated in 2022. The visit to Japan also comes just before Mr. Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expected to take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, to be held on October 29-31 in Gyeongju, South Korea.

Shortly after landing in Tokyo on Monday, Mr. Trump called on Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, as landmarks such as the Tokyo tower, Tokyo Skytree and the Metropolitan Government Building were lit up in the U.S. national colours.

“Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and having a fruitful discussion on how we can further strengthen our great Alliance,” Ms. Takaichi posted on social media, addressing Mr. Trump. Speaking to reporters during his visit to Malaysia over the weekend for the ASEAN summit, Mr. Trump had highlighted Ms. Takaichi’s association with Mr. Abe.“[PM Takaichi]was a very, very close ally and friend of Prime Minister Abe and you know he was one of my favourites,”he said.

In downtown Tokyo, people expressed their enthusiasm about the Summit, which is customarily held whenever there is a new leader in either country, although Mr. Trump’s visit to Japan this time had been planned before the LDP leader won a vote in parliament on October 21 making her the first woman PM of the country. “We hope Ms. Takaichi will have the same kind of bond with Mr. Trump as Italian PM [Giorgia] Meloni does,” said one woman office-goer, who said she supported Ms. Takaichi’s conservative politics.

Despite the warm sentiments ties, experts are billing the meeting with Mr. Trump as Ms. Takaichi’s first big “test” as Prime Minister, given the U.S. President’s unfiltered and sometimes undiplomatic style. While the former Japanese government had been able to negotiate U.S. reciprocal tariffs down to 15%, former PM Shigeru Ishiba faced uncomfortable questions over a surprise announcement that Japan had committed to investing $550 billion, and that the U.S. President would have extraordinary powers in deciding which projects would be funded.

“I think the most important objective from Trump’s visit for the Japanese government is to avoid any kind of disaster. Basically, Japan would like to see the status quo to be maintained, and to not face any new or surprising demands,” Hiroyuki Akita, one of Japan’s most prominent columnists, who contributes to the Nikkei newspaper, said.

Mr. Trump’s statements on the security relationship could be another “nightmare scenario”, Mr. Akita said, in light of the U.S. President’s demands on European NATO allies to raise defence spending to 5% of the GDP. Ms. Takaichi’s big announcement last week, of raising Japan’s defence budget to 2% of the GDP two years earlier than scheduled, is seen as a move to head off any similar demands during the Trump visit to Japan.

“[Mr. Trump] has complained in the past that the US-Japan military treaty is unfair, as the US has an obligation to defend Japan, but Japan doesn’t have an obligation to defend the US,” Mr. Akita explained, adding that for PM Takaichi, who has only just been sworn in, “it is important that the visit has no surprises or unpredictable moments”.

Ms. Takaichi is expected to push for more US commitment to cooperation in Indo-Pacific initiatives, where India-US tensions over trade and other issues have held up the Quad Summit. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who asked not to be named said that there had been hope a few months ago that Mr. Trump would make a stop in Delhi for the Quad Summit during his present Asia tour. However, no dates could be finalised by the Australia-India-Japan-US grouping, the official said, suggesting the Summit can now only be held in 2026.

When asked, MoFA spokesperson Assistant Minister Toshihiro Kitamura said he wasn’t sure if Ms. Takaichi will raise the Quad issue during the talks with Mr. Trump.

“But I would reiterate that for Japan, the Quad engagement is important, and we would also like to ensure the US engagement in the Indo-Pacific region,” Mr. Kitamura said in an interview to The Hindu.

(The correspondent is visiting Japan at the invitation of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs)