Japan’s New Leader to Woo Trump With Promises on Pickups and Soybeans

By Tamiyuki Kihara

TOKYO, Oct. 22 (Reuters) – As Japan’s new premier Sanae Takaichi got to work on Wednesday, her government began finalizing a purchase package, including U.S. pickups, soybeans, and gas, to present to President Donald Trump in trade and security talks next week, two sources said.

She will not, however, commit to any new defence spending target at the meeting, which comes as Washington presses Japan and other allies to do more, said one of the sources with knowledge of the preparations.

The leaders will sit down in Tokyo early next week during Trump’s first visit to Japan since his re-election, following an agreement by her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, to invest as much as $550 billion in the United States in return for lower auto tariffs.

“The alliance with the United States is the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign and security policy,” Takaichi said on Tuesday at her inaugural press conference.

A successful meeting with Trump would help bolster Takaichi’s fledgling administration, which must govern with a parliamentary minority. The hardline conservative will also need Washington’s backing to pursue any regional security policies.

“It would be premature to comment on any discussions during President Trump’s visit,” a Japanese government spokesperson said when asked about the planned purchase package and potential investments.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Diplomatic Test

The sweeteners Takaichi plans to offer Trump in her first major diplomatic test include the purchase of Ford F.NF-150 pickup trucks, an idea floated by Trump, and an agreement to buy more U.S. soybeans, which U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick requested in a call with his Japanese counterpart last week, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorised to talk to the media.

In an interview on CNBC in August, Trump said Japan was ready to buy “the very beautiful Ford 150”. But U.S. pickup trucks, including Ford’s iconic symbol of blue-collar America, are too big and too fuel-hungry for most Japanese drivers.

Beijing’s curbs of U.S. soybean imports have hurt American farmers reliant on Asian markets. In September, exports to China dropped to zero for the first time in almost seven years.

Tokyo could trim purchases of Brazilian soybeans to make room for more U.S. imports, which already account for 70% of Japan’s consumption, one of the sources told Reuters.

The F-150s, designed for wider U.S. roads, may be used in Japan as snow plows.

Investment and Defense Spending

Japan also plans to buy more U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG), although not for now from an Alaskan pipeline project championed by Trump. Separately, officials will also present a list of candidate investment projects under the $550 billion deal, which both governments will review before Trump makes a final pick, the source added.

During the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership race, Takaichi was the only one of the five candidates to suggest the agreement, which gives the U.S. the lion’s share of returns, was unfair. After her victory she said she would honour the pact.

“Even with a one-to-nine profit split, if the risk is low, it can still make business sense,” a separate Japanese government source said.

On defence, Japan’s new premier has said she wants to strengthen security ties with Washington. Japan already hosts the biggest concentration of U.S. military power, including an aircraft carrier, a U.S. Marine expeditionary force and scores of fighter jets.

At next week’s meeting, she will signal Japan’s willingness to accelerate its defence build-up beyond the 2% of GDP target set for 2027, the first source said.

Takaichi yesterday said she will instruct defence officials to review three 2022 strategy documents that underpin what is already Japan’s biggest military expansion since World War Two.

Asked on Wednesday whether Japan would review the national security documents, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said: “It’s not about the amount or the ratio to GDP. What matters is the substance of our defence capabilities.”

Trump arrives in Japan on Monday and leaves Tuesday. He will also meet Emperor Naruhito. The U.S. leader and Takaichi are expected to travel to Malaysia for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering from Sunday, and later to South Korea, which is hosting an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

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(Reporting by Tamiyuki Kihara; additional reporting by Tim Kelly and Trevor Hunnicutt; Writing by Tim Kelly; Editing by Stephen Coates)