Japan PM Takaichi welcomes Trumps message, looks ahead to White House visit

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday expressed appreciation for US President Donald Trump’s message, underlining his determination to further strengthen the Japan-US Alliance and confirming his upcoming visit to the White House.

“I am sincerely grateful to President Donald J. Trump for his warm words,” Takaichi said in his post about X, adding that he looks forward to continuing the close cooperation between the two countries.

The Japanese leader said the alliance and friendship between Japan and the United States is based on “deep trust and close, strong cooperation” and underlined the scope for expanding bilateral ties in security, economic and strategic areas.

Emphasizing the importance of sustainable cooperation, Takaichi said, “The potential of our alliance is unlimited.” he said.

He added that Japan and the United States should work together to ensure that the alliance continues to contribute to “peace and prosperity” both among nations and beyond.

Takaichi’s remarks came in response to a post Trump made on the Truth Social platform in which the US President endorsed Japan’s Prime Minister as Japan heads to the polls for a key legislative election on Sunday.

In his Truth Social post, Trump called the February 8 election a “very important Legislative Election” for Japan’s future and praised Takaichi as a proven leader. “Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has already proven that she is a strong, powerful and wise Leader and someone who truly loves her Country,” Trump said.

Trump said he looked forward to welcoming Takaichi to the White House on March 19, recalling his recent visit to Japan where he and his delegation were “extremely impressed” by Takaichi’s leadership.

Emphasizing bilateral cooperation, Trump drew attention to the close coordination between Washington and Tokyo on national security and trade. He said the United States and Japan were working together on “a very important Trade Agreement that will greatly benefit both countries.”

“As President of the United States, it is my honor to Fully and Completely Endorse him and what his highly respected Coalition represents,” said Trump, who directly supported a foreign leader during the election.

He concluded his message by giving the Japanese leader a strong vote of confidence and writing in capital letters: “JAPAN WILL NOT LET ITS PEOPLE BE ALONE!” and wished voters luck ahead of what he called the “very important Sunday Vote.”

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives in Sunday’s general election, giving Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a decisive mandate to advance his conservative policy agenda, Kyodo News reported.

The 310 seats in the 465-member lower house, which exceeds the two-thirds threshold, gives the LDP the opportunity to amend the constitution and introduce legislation even if it is rejected by Upper House members where the ruling coalition is in the minority. According to Kyodo News, the LDP became the first party in post-war Japan to achieve such a margin.

According to Kyodo News, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s first visit to Washington since taking office will take place before US President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China in April. Because Beijing is taking an increasingly harsh stance regarding its comments regarding a possible crisis in the Taiwan Strait.

Trump has repeatedly praised Japan’s commitment to large-scale investments in the United States, a key element of the trade deal reached last summer after tariff threats against Tokyo, Kyodo News said.

Since his first days in office, Trump has publicly praised Takaichi, the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, describing him as a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he established a close personal relationship during his first term.

The U.S. State Department on Sunday said the administration looks forward to advancing “U.S. security and economic priorities as well as our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and globally” with Japan, Kyodo News reported.

A State Department spokesperson described the U.S.-Japan alliance as the “cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity” in the region, adding that it “has never been stronger,” according to Kyodo News.