Trump, Japan’s Takaichi sign deal to secure rare earths supply

US president heaps praise connected Japan’s archetypal pistillate premier curate arsenic the leaders motion deals connected the proviso of uncommon world minerals.

United States President Donald Trump has met Japan’s archetypal pistillate premier minister, Sanae Takaichi, successful Tokyo, welcoming her pledge to accelerate a subject buildup and signing deals connected commercialized and captious minerals.

Trump connected Tuesday lavished praise connected Takaichi, saying she would beryllium a “great” leader, portion the premier curate said she planned to nominate the US president for a Nobel Peace Prize, according to the White House.

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Takaichi – a adjacent state of Trump’s person and golfing partner, precocious Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – is besides expected to connection a bundle of US investments nether a $550bn woody agreed connected this year, the Reuters quality bureau reported.

This included shipbuilding and accrued purchases of US soya beans, earthy state and pick-up trucks, the bureau reported, citing sources acquainted with the talks.

Those gestures whitethorn temper immoderate Trump demands for Tokyo to walk much connected defending islands from an progressively assertive China, which Takaichi sought to caput disconnected by pledging past week to fast-track plans to summation defence spending to 2 percent of gross home merchandise (GDP).

“It’s a precise beardown handshake,” Trump said, arsenic the brace posed for photos astatine the Akasaka Palace successful downtown Tokyo.

“Everything I cognize from Shinzo and others, you volition beryllium 1 of the large premier ministers. I’d besides similar to congratulate you connected being the archetypal pistillate premier minister. It’s a large deal,” Trump told Takaichi arsenic the brace sat down for discussions with their delegations.

Takaichi talented Trump Abe’s putter, a play container signed by Japanese large victor Hideki Matsuyama, and a gold-leaf play ball, according to photos posted connected X by Trump’s assistant, Margo Martin.

The US president was past astatine the palace, an ornate residence built successful a European style, successful 2019 for talks with Abe, who was assassinated successful 2022.

Deal connected captious minerals

Trump besides praised Japan’s efforts to bargain much US defence equipment, portion Takaichi said that Trump’s relation successful securing ceasefires betwixt Cambodia and Thailand, and Israel and Palestinian equipped groups were “unprecedented” achievements.

“In specified a abbreviated play of time, the satellite started to bask much peace,” Takaichi told reporters done an interpreter.

“I, myself, was truthful impressed and inspired by you, Mr President,” Takaichi added.

The leaders past signed an statement to enactment the proviso of captious minerals and uncommon earths, arsenic the countries question to wean reliance disconnected China’s chokehold connected the materials, which are important for a wide scope of products, from smartphones to combatant jets.

The White House, successful a statement, said the nonsubjective of the woody was “to assistance some countries successful achieving resilience and information of captious minerals and uncommon earths proviso chains”.

It added that the US and Japan “jointly place projects of involvement to code gaps successful proviso chains for captious minerals and uncommon earths, including derivative products specified arsenic imperishable magnets, batteries, catalysts, and optical materials”.

Trump and Takaichi volition aboriginal sojourn the US naval basal successful Yokosuka adjacent Tokyo, which is location to the craft bearer USS George Washington, portion of the US military’s almighty beingness successful the region.

Trump volition past conscionable concern leaders successful Tokyo, earlier travelling connected Wednesday to South Korea. In talks determination with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said helium hopes to seal a commercialized warfare truce betwixt the world’s 2 biggest economies.