PM Takaichi says Japan, US agree to collaborate on various issues over China
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan and the United States are “now allies with the highest mutual trust”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump agreed to collaborate on various China-related issues, including economic security, following Trump's recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- Takaichi highlighted the strong Japan-US alliance, noting their frequent talks and mutual commitment to regional peace and stability.
- Sino-Japanese ties remain tense due to Takaichi's hawkish views, especially regarding Taiwan, which has strained relations with China since last November.
AI generated
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Sept 26 that she and US President Donald Trump had agreed over the phone to collaborate on various China-related issues, following Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this week.
Takaichi told reporters that Trump had spoken “in detail” about his meeting with Xi in Washington on Sept 24.
The Prime Minister said the two talks she had held with Trump over the week, which included their in-person meeting in New York, underscored the strong alliance between Japan and the US.
Takaichi met Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept 22, in an apparent effort to align Tokyo’s position with Washington ahead of the US-China summit.
At the Sept 24 Trump-Xi talks, cooperation between the US and China in World War II was brought up, with Trump describing the two countries as “allies” in the war that ended in 1945 with Japan’s defeat and Xi stating that they had “stood shoulder to shoulder in the fight against Japanese militarist aggressors”.
Takaichi stressed that, during her 20-minute phone conversation with Trump, the two leaders had affirmed their countries’ commitment to peace and stability in the region and the world, adding that Japan and the US are “now allies with the highest mutual trust”.
Sino-Japanese ties have frayed since Takaichi, known for her hawkish security views, drew criticism from China by saying in November 2025 that an attack on Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, could trigger a response from Japanese defence forces.
Takaichi and Trump also spoke over the phone in May after the Trump-Xi meeting in China earlier that month. KYODO NEWS