Japan’s Prime Minister to Meet Trump in Washington

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gestures during a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the prime minister's office in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Jan. 10, 2025. Mohd Rasfan/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will have his first in-person meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, Japanese officials confirmed on Feb. 4.

Ishiba is expected to visit the United States between Feb. 6 and Feb. 8 and will meet Trump in Washington, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference.

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Ishiba “intends to build a relationship of trust and cooperation” with the Trump administration and “elevate the Japan-U.S. Alliance to new heights.”

According to the Japanese ministry, Ishiba is scheduled to travel from Tokyo to Washington on Feb. 6, depart from Washington on Feb. 7, and arrive back in Tokyo on Feb. 8.

The United States is Japan’s only treaty ally. Ishiba has sought engagement with Trump since his election victory in November 2024 to keep a strong U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific amid increased Chinese aggression in the region and North Korea’s missile tests.

Speaking to Parliament last month, Ishiba said Japan faces “the most severe and complicated security environment” since World War II and needs to bolster its defense capabilities, elevate the Japan–U.S. alliance, and expand and deepen ties with other partners.

After Japanese media outlets reported last week on Ishiba’s upcoming visit, Trump paid tribute to the late Shinzo Abe, who was the prime minister of Japan from 2012 to 2020 and whom Trump called “a very close friend,” and told reporters on Jan. 31 that he looks forward to meeting with Ishiba.

During his first term, Trump revived the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue among the United States, Japan, India, and Australia, known as the Quad, along with Abe, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and then-Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, to counter the Chinese regime in the Indo-Pacific region.

In a sign of the Trump administration’s continued focus on the Indo-Pacific, on Jan. 21, Marco Rubio spent his first day as secretary of state hosting his Quad counterparts.

The ministers reaffirmed their “shared commitment to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are upheld and defended” and said they “strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion” in the Indo-Pacific.

Rubio also spoke to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong about their countries’ security pact with the United Kingdom known as AUKUS, which was created during the Biden administration.

During his confirmation hearing, Rubio backed AUKUS, which he characterized as a collaboration on bolstering technological capabilities. The United States and the UK are also working to help arm Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.