US President Donald Trump has received a royal welcome in Japan, the latest leg of a five-day Asia trip which he hopes to cap with an agreement on a trade war truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr Trump, making his longest journey abroad since taking office in January, announced deals with four southeast Asian countries during the first stop in Malaysia and is expected to meet Mr Xi in South Korea on Thursday.
Negotiators from the world’s top two economies hashed out a framework yesterday for a deal to pause steeper American tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls, US officials said.
The news sent Asian stocks soaring to record peaks.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for President Xi and I think we’re going to come away with a deal,” Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One before landing in the Japanese capital Tokyo.
Wearing a gold tie and blue suit, Mr Trump shook hands with officials on the tarmac and gave a few fist pumps, before his helicopter whisked him off for a scenic night tour of Tokyo.
His motorcade was later seen entering the Imperial Palace grounds, where he met Japanese Emperor Naruhito.
Mr Trump has already won a $550-billion investment pledge from Tokyo in exchange for respite from punishing import tariffs.
Japan’s newly elected prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, is hoping to further impress Mr Trump with promises to purchase US pickup trucks, soybeans and gas, and announce an agreement on shipbuilding, sources with knowledge of the plans said.
The US leader said he had heard “great things about her” and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom Mr Trump had close ties.
Ms Takaichi said she told Mr Trump ahead of the meeting that strengthening the Japan-US alliance was her administration’s “top priority on the diplomatic and security front”.
Japan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Mr Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are “ripping off the United States”.
Mr Trump did not rule out extending his Asia trip to meet Kim Jong Un, saying he “would love” to speak with the North Korean leader.
Speaking to journalists on board Air Force One, Mr Trump expressed openness to prolonging the trip that next takes him to Tokyo.
Flurry of agreements reached during Asian trip
The trip, Mr Trump’s first in the region since returning to office, kicked off in Malaysia yesterday with a flurry of agreements.
That included rewarding neighbours Cambodia and Thailand with trade agreements after co-signing their ceasefire pact, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur.
He also agreed to a trade and minerals deal with Malaysia, and moved to mend fences with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after months of bad blood.
“I think we’ll be able to do some pretty good deals,” Mr Trump told the Brazilian leader.
Mr Trump squeezed in a meeting with Qatar’s leaders during a refuelling stop on the way to Malaysia, where they discussed the fragile truce in Gaza.
It was Mr Trump’s first visit as president to Kuala Lumpur, where his flight was escorted by two Malaysian F-18 jets, before a red carpet welcome where he gave his trademark arm-waving dance.
The greatest prize for Mr Trump remains a China deal.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng had already held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100% tariffs due to come into effect on 1 November.
China’s vice commerce minister, Li Chenggang, said a “preliminary consensus” had been reached.
Mr Bessent told ABC that the extra tariffs had been averted, and signalled a deal on rare earths and American soybean exports had been reached.
“It’s going to be great for China, great for us,” Mr Trump told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
‘Open’ to meet
The highlight of the trip is expected to be South Korea, where Mr Trump will meet Mr Xi for the first time since returning to office.
Mr Trump is due in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
Global markets will be watching closely to see if the meeting with Mr Xi on Thursday can halt the trade war sparked by Mr Trump’s sweeping tariffs, especially after a recent dispute over China’s rare earth curbs.
Mr Trump has also added to speculation that he could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while on the Korean peninsula, saying he was “open to it”.
The two leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the border area separating the two Koreas.
South Korea’s reunification minister has said there is a “considerable” chance that Mr Trump and Mr Kim will meet.
Mr Kim has said he would also be open to meeting the US president if the United States drops its demand that North Korea give up its nuclear arsenal.
