U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 23, 2025, in Washington, DC. Trump signed a range of executive orders pertaining to issues including cryptocurrency, Artificial Intelligence, and clemency for anti-abortion activists. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Agence France-Presse
TOKYO, Japan — Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stressed on Friday the importance of close ties with the United States for regional stability, as he seeks to arrange a meeting with President Donald Trump.
“As the balance of power in the region undergoes a historic change, we must deepen Japan-US cooperation further, in a concrete manner,” Ishiba told parliament.
Article continues after this advertisementTokyo must also “continue to secure the US commitment to the region, to avoid a power vacuum leading to regional instability”, he added in a policy speech.
FEATURED STORIES GLOBALNATION Trump's deportation operation underway, hundreds of migrants arrested GLOBALNATION Bersamin: PH won’t change ICC stance, will cooperate via Interpol GLOBALNATION BI: Alleged spy studied in Chinese military-run universityHis comments underscored jitters over China’s military build-up in the Asia-Pacific and Trump’s “America First” policies, which may include demanding that allies such as Japan shoulder a larger proportion of defence costs.
“Japan-US leadership is essential to strengthen the free and open Indo-Pacific by establishing multi-layered security networks including Japan-US-Australia-India, Japan-US-South Korea, and Japan-US-Philippines,” Ishiba added.
Article continues after this advertisement“At a forthcoming Japan-US summit, I want to share understanding with President Trump on these security and economic issues,” he said.
Article continues after this advertisementJapanese media said a meeting between Ishiba and Trump could take place as early as next month, likely in the United States.
Article continues after this advertisementIshiba held a brief telephone call in November with then-president-elect Trump, and reportedly sought to meet with him in January before his inauguration, but this did not happen.
However, Trump hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan’s assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe, for a private dinner with his wife Melania Trump at their Florida residence in December.
Article continues after this advertisementThat same month, Masayoshi Son, head of Japanese tech investment behemoth SoftBank, stood beside Trump to announce a $100 billion investment in the United States.
online casino free bonusSon attended Trump’s inauguration this week, followed by an announcement that SoftBank would lead a $500 billion project to build AI infrastructure in the United States along with cloud giant Oracle and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
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Gorman will become chairman on Jan. 2, 2025. He will succeed Mark Parker, who is leaving after serving on Disney’s board for nine years.
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