President Donald Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Tuesday, finalizing two major agreements on trade and critical minerals amid escalating global competition for rare-earth resources. The deals come as China imposes new restrictions on rare-earth exports, prompting Washington to diversify its mineral supply chain.
The first pact, signed at the Prime Minister’s Office, commits both nations to accelerate joint mining and processing projects within six months. The second, a framework deal, pledges cooperation toward what the leaders described as a “new golden age for the U.S.-Japan alliance.” A broader $550 billion trade investment package announced in July underpins the effort.
Prime Minister Takaichi also vowed to raise defense spending to 2% of Japan’s GDP this year—two years ahead of schedule—while the U.S., which maintains about 60,000 troops in Japan, is urging Tokyo to move closer to NATO’s 5% defense benchmark.
Trump’s Tokyo stop is part of a three-nation Asia tour aimed at reshaping trade partnerships and countering Beijing’s economic leverage. He is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea later this week, where negotiators say a preliminary trade framework is already in place.
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