U.S. President Donald Trump met Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, in Tokyo on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) for talks on trade and security, a week after the hardline conservative became Japan’s first female leader and vowed to accelerate a military buildup.
Ms. Takaichi is expected to offer a package of U.S. investments in a $550-billion deal agreed this year, including shipbuilding, and increased purchases of U.S. soybeans, gas and pickup trucks, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Japanese PM Takaichi faces her first big diplomatic test with Trump talks
She also plans to inform him she is preparing to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, following other world leaders that have recommended Mr. Trump for the accolade he has long sought, broadcaster NTV reported on Tuesday, citing government sources.
Those gestures may temper any Mr. Trump demands for Tokyo to spend more on defending islands from an increasingly assertive China, which Takaichi sought to head off by pledging last week to fast track plans to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP.
