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Japan and the US are crucial defence allies and sitiosecuador.com each other's leading foreign investors

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's second summit with a foreign leader because his go back to the White House.

Japan is one of the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the nation.

Ishiba will be pressing for reassurance on the significance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" agenda threats intruding on the countries' trade and defence ties.

"It would be wonderful if we could affirm that we will work together for the advancement this region and the world and for peace," Ishiba told press reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the journey.

Japan's Nikkei paper said Thursday the pair will provide a joint declaration, which might vow to build a "golden age" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "new heights".

Ishiba is anticipated to tell Trump that Japan will increase defence buy from the United States, the Nikkei said.

Ishiba may also propose importing more US gas-- chiming with Trump's strategy to "drill, child, drill" while enhancing energy security for .

Since Japan has actually cut its melted gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "desperately needs to open brand-new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, informed AFP.

"The intention is to present a win-win worth proposition from Ishiba to the president," she said.

Trump will satisfy Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- just days after a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president sparked uproar with a proposal to take over the Gaza Strip.

The Japan top might be less startling, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan threat -

Ishiba has actually worried the significance of US defence ties, indicating risks on Japan's doorstep such as China pressing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo needs to "continue to secure the US dedication to the region, to prevent a power vacuum causing regional instability", Ishiba just recently informed parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are expected to verify the value of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese media said.

That would echo joint declarations made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.

Concentrating on this point is "incredibly important" because Japan and the United States must interact to avoid a prospective crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, an international relations specialist at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the burden of defence expenses, however, there are issues Trump might offer less money and push Japan to do more, Smith said.

"That's where ... the Ishiba-Trump relationship could get a bit sticky," she said.

- After Abe -

Also causing jitters is Trump's desire to slap trade tariffs on significant trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has delayed steps against the latter 2 nations pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other ways to attain financial security," such as working together on innovation, Shiraishi informed AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, revealed after Trump's January inauguration, to invest up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the United States, led by Japanese tech investment behemoth SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.

Reports said the leaders could also discuss Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion quote to purchase US Steel, which Biden obstructed on nationwide security grounds.

Japan and the United States are each other's leading foreign financiers, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will concur on creating an investment-friendly environment.

During his first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe enjoyed warm relations.

As president-elect in December, Trump likewise hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a dinner with Melania Trump at their Florida house.

Trump developed a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith believes he had a "genuine fondness".

He will likely "see Ishiba through a various lens", said Smith, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the personal".

Ishiba, 68, will not be the very first Japanese VIP to fulfill the 78-year-old Trump face to face considering that he took office-- a difference held by SoftBank creator Masayoshi Son.