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During a recent visit to Japan's capital, former American leader Trump and Japan's recently elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shared friendly compliments and pledged to enhance the already strong bilateral ties.

Highlights from the Meeting

Donald Trump praised Prime Minister Takaichi as a ‘great’ leader and congratulated her on becoming Japan's inaugural female prime minister. In their talks at Tokyo's official venue, Trump voiced confidence that Takaichi would become one of the ‘outstanding leaders’ of Japan.

Takaichi, who is a close associate of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, applauded his initiatives to address international conflicts and according to sources vowed to put forward him for the prestigious award.

Economic and Defense Agreements

Both nations revealed a list of collaborative initiatives in areas such as energy, artificial intelligence, and rare earths. Japanese companies are exploring funding of up to $400 billion in the US.

Furthermore, Japan had previously pledged $550 billion in long-term American projects, financing, and guarantees as part of an arrangement to secure relief from Trump's import duties.

Such actions are viewed as possibly easing any upcoming demands from Trump for Japan to boost its defense spending. The prime minister addressed this by committing to fast-track proposals to raise military budget to 2% of gross domestic product.

Additional Political Developments

• Donald Trump left the door open to a another term, though it is constitutionally not permitted. Trump stated he ‘would love’ to serve again but would not use a vice presidential workaround.
• Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib reacted to Trump's comments, saying, “Under no circumstances will we allow that.”
• California Governor Newsom suggested he will determine on a White House bid after the upcoming elections.
• The leader of America’s biggest federal workers union called for an end to the federal closure, which is now the second longest in US history.
• Republican leader Mike Johnson criticized opposition figure Hakeem Jeffries for endorsing a candidate in the New York City mayor’s race.
• The governor of Indiana Mike Braun announced a special session to reconsider congressional districts.
• Democratic leaders in several regions are considering map changes in reaction to GOP actions.

“Everything I know from Shinzo and others, you will be one of the great prime ministers,” Trump said to the prime minister. “I’d also like to congratulate you on being the first woman prime minister. It’s a big deal,” he continued.

The encounter highlights the ongoing importance of the US-Japan alliance and paves the way for further cooperation on trade, defense, and foreign policy areas.