Sanae Takaichi leads a minority government and needs a successful meeting with the US president on Tuesday. Thankfully her mentor, Shinzo Abe, is one of Trump’s ‘favourites’
Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, faces the first real test of her diplomatic and personal skills when she meets Donald Trump for talks in Tokyo that are expected to focus on trade and security.
Takaichi, who this month became Japan’s first female leader after winning a vote to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP), made her international debut at this weekend’s Asean summit.
But it is her meeting with Trump on Tuesday that will set the tone for Tokyo’s relationship with its important and increasingly unpredictable ally, which has imposed “retaliatory” tariffs on Japan, despite the US president’s obvious affection for the country.
Takaichi will be eager to demonstrate her international credentials, days after forming a potentially shaky coalition with a minor party that still leaves her administration two seats shy of a majority in the powerful lower house of the Japanese parliament and dependent on opposition MPs to pass legislation.
