U.S. President Donald Trump received a warm royal welcome in Japan on Monday, the newest stop on his five-day trip across Asia. The trip, his longest foreign voyage since returning to the White House in January, comes at a crucial time as Washington seeks to clinch a trade war truce with China’s President Xi Jinping later in the week.
Trump’s Asia visit — covering Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and a possible meeting with Xi in Korea on Thursday — underscores Washington’s new effort to overhaul alliances and steady trade relations after years of escalating economic tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Trade Progress Preceding the Tokyo Visit
On his way to Tokyo, Trump wrapped up a successful first leg of his trip in Malaysia, where the United States inked a series of trade and mineral agreements with four Southeast Asian nations. The pacts are intended to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals, a sector that has assumed strategic importance in the worldwide race for resources essential to clean energy and semiconductor production.
U.S. officials noted that Washington and Beijing negotiators have already agreed on a framework to freeze new tariffs and ease Chinese export restrictions on rare earth minerals — a deal that sent Asian markets rallying to record highs on Monday morning.
“I have a great deal of respect for President Xi, and I think we’re going to come out with a deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, shortly before arriving in Tokyo.
A Royal Reception in Tokyo
Trump was given full diplomatic honors on arrival. Trump, in a navy suit and gold tie, waved and pumped his fist as he alighted from Marine One for a Tokyo helicopter tour with scenic views of the city, where landmarks were illuminated in red, white, and blue — the colors of the American flag.
He then went to the Imperial Palace to be received by Emperor Naruhito, Japan’s symbolic monarch. The two greeted each other and took photographs, Trump’s second encounter with the emperor since 2019.
Security in and around Tokyo was tight with thousands of police being deployed after a knife-wielding man was arrested outside the U.S. Embassy on Friday. Despite the heightened alert, the visit passed off without any incident, but minor protests against Trump were staged in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo.
Deepening Economic Ties with Japan
Trump’s visit has already yielded tangible dividends. Tokyo has committed to invest $550 billion in new U.S. investments, seen as part of Japan’s efforts to appease American import tariffs.
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Japan’s Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa — two of the masterminds of the July tariff agreement — had lunch in Tokyo on Monday, discussing fresh collaboration on power grid and energy ventures, Japanese media said.
Japan’s newly appointed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the country’s first female head, is set to announce additional deals on shipbuilding, soybeans, natural gas, and pickup truck imports when she meets with Trump on Tuesday.
Takaichi, who was a close ally of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, spoke with Trump by telephone on Saturday and reaffirmed to him that her “top priority” was to enhance the U.S.-Japan alliance.
I believe she’s going to be great,” Trump told reporters. “She’s tough, she’s intelligent, and she cares very deeply about the relationship between the United States and Japan.”
Security and Defense on the Agenda
While the optics of Trump’s Tokyo visit are friendly, the security agenda is front and center. Trump has been pressing Japan for years to increase defense spending to counter regional threats from China and North Korea.
Prime Minister Takaichi has vowed to accelerate Japan’s biggest military build-up since World War II, aiming to raise defense spending to 2% of GDP, in line with NATO targets. Domestic political constraints could, however, render further increases difficult — her ruling coalition currently lacks a parliamentary majority.
Japan already hosts the largest concentration of U.S. military power abroad, with bases at Okinawa and Yokosuka, indicating the alliance’s strategic worth in maintaining Indo-Pacific stability.
Looking Ahead: Seoul and Beijing Talks
Following his Tokyo visit, Trump will travel to Gyeongju, South Korea, for a Wednesday meeting with President Lee Jae Myung. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that a trade agreement with South Korea has been completed, though it would not be finalized this week.
The peak of Trump’s Asia visit will be on Thursday, when he meets President Xi Jinping in South Korea. The two presidents are expected to finalize the long-awaited trade truce, potentially freezing new tariffs and relaxing bans on exports of important technology.
While neither side anticipates a return to pre-2019 trade terms, the talks can potentially reset the tone of Sino-U.S. relations, paving the way for more stable economic cooperation after years of acrimony.
A Trip Defined by Diplomacy and Strategy
Trump’s Asia visit is a strategic mix of spectacle, economics, and diplomacy. His royal reception in Tokyo, economic advances in Malaysia, and scheduled meeting with Xi all underscore Washington’s broader game plan: to reaffirm alliances, address China’s growing influence, and rebuild trust in global trade regimes.
If the deals are consummated as expected, Trump can leave Asia not only with a symbolic victory but a substantive step toward defusing trade tensions and rebuilding America’s position in the Indo-Pacific — a region that remains at the center of global economic power.
