Trump meets Japan Emperor Naruhito in royal welcome; talks with new PM soon

US President Donald Trump received a grand welcome in Japan on Monday, the latest stop in his five-day Asia tour that he hopes will end with a trade truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On the trip, Trump announced investment and trade deals with four Southeast Asian nations during his first stop in Malaysia and is set to wrap up the visit with a summit with Xi on Thursday. US officials said negotiators from both countries had agreed on a framework to pause higher American tariffs and Chinese rare earth export curbs — a move that sent Asian markets soaring.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for President Xi and I think we’re going to come away with a deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One before landing in Tokyo.

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After arriving, Trump, dressed in a blue suit and gold tie, greeted Japanese officials on the tarmac before flying by helicopter for a night tour of the city. He later met Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace.

Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the country’s first female leader, is expected to use the visit to strengthen ties and announce major trade commitments — including purchases of US trucks, soybeans and gas, and a shipbuilding pact. She also pledged to make the Japan-US alliance her “top priority” in their first phone call over the weekend.

Trump has already secured a $550 billion investment pledge from Tokyo in exchange for relief from import tariffs. “I think she’s going to be great,” Trump said, praising Takaichi as a close ally of his late friend, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

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Security is tight in Tokyo, with thousands of police deployed. A man armed with a knife was arrested outside the US embassy on Friday, and anti-Trump protests are planned in Shinjuku.

Trump and Takaichi will meet formally at Akasaka Palace on Tuesday, where he last met Abe six years ago, and will be welcomed with a military honour guard. Talks are expected to focus on defence and trade, with Takaichi set to reaffirm her plan to accelerate Japan’s biggest military buildup since World War II.

Trump is scheduled to depart for South Korea on Wednesday to meet President Lee Jae Myung in Gyeongju, where officials say a trade framework is in place but won’t be finalised this week.