U.S. President Donald Trump departed for Japan on Monday for the second leg of his Asia tour, ahead of a highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at resolving the ongoing trade war between the two largest global economies.
Optimism surrounding the potential breakthrough in U.S.–China negotiations lifted investor sentiment across Asia, with Japan’s Nikkei index surpassing 50,000 points for the first time on Monday — a milestone driven by renewed market confidence.
President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo later Monday evening, where he will first meet with the Emperor of Japan before holding formal talks with the country’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters before his departure, Trump praised Takaichi, calling her “a great leader” and noting her close association with late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he maintained strong diplomatic ties.
Prime Minister Takaichi confirmed that she had communicated with Trump prior to the visit, emphasizing that strengthening the Japan–U.S. alliance remains her administration’s “top priority in diplomacy and security.”
Japan has largely avoided the harshest of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on countries accused of maintaining “unfair trade practices” that the president said were “ripping off the United States.”
The meeting between Trump and Xi is expected to be pivotal in determining whether the two powers can finally strike a lasting agreement to end years of economic tensions that have disrupted global trade and markets.
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