In response to rising trade tensions that threaten to destabilize the world economy, US President Donald Trump welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday ( Feb 7 ) at the White House.
At a news conference after their conversations, Trump announced progress on Nippon Steel’s blocked US$ 14.9 billion attempt to take over US Steel,  , which he has much opposed.
Trump said Nippon was then looking at an “investment, hardly a purchase”, and added,” I’m fine with that, positive”.
Ishiba claimed in his first meeting with Trump that he had expressed his desire to work together to increase Japanese investment in the US by$ 1 trillion. He cited purchase intentions by Toyota and Isuzu, as well as Japan’s plans to boost exports of US molten natural gas.
Trump told reporters that the two nations would work up to reduce the US trade deficit with Japan from its present level, which he estimated at US$ 100 billion, as the two sat together in the Oval Office.
” If become really easy to do”, he said. ” I don’t think we’ll have any problem whatsoever. They want justice to”.
According to the latest US trade information, Japan’s 2024 goods trade deficit was US$ 68.5 billion compared with US$ 71.6 billion in 2023.
Trump, whose first three weeks in office have shredded standards and shaken foreign capital from Ottawa to Bogota, has taken a more standard method to Washington’s historic Asia-Pacific allies, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines.
After our conference today, I’m convinced that the respected alliance between our two nations and others will continue to flourish long and well into the future, according to Trump.