Japan and the US are crucial defence allies and each other's leading foreign investors

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's 2nd summit with a foreign leader given that his go back to the White House.

Japan is among the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.

Ishiba will be promoting peace of mind on the importance of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" agenda risks encroaching on the countries' trade and defence ties.

"It would be wonderful if we could verify that we will interact for the advancement this area and the world and for peace," Ishiba informed reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the trip.

Japan's Nikkei paper said Thursday the pair will release a joint statement, which could vow to develop a "golden era" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "brand-new heights".

Ishiba is expected to tell Trump that Japan will increase defence buy from the United States, the Nikkei said.

Ishiba may also propose importing more US gas-- chiming with Trump's plan to "drill, baby, drill" while enhancing energy security for resource-poor Japan.

Since Japan has cut its liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "frantically requires to open new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, informed AFP.

"The intent is to provide a win-win value proposal from Ishiba to the president," she said.

Trump will fulfill Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- simply days after a joint interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president stimulated uproar with a proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip.

The Japan summit could be less shocking, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong dedication to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan risk -

Ishiba has actually worried the significance of US defence ties, pointing to threats on Japan's doorstep such as China pressing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo needs to "continue to protect the US dedication to the area, to prevent a power vacuum causing local instability", Ishiba just recently informed parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are anticipated to affirm the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese media said.

That would echo joint declarations made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.

Concentrating on this point is "very important" because Japan and the United States need to work together to avoid a prospective crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, an international relations professional at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the problem of defence expenses, nevertheless, there are issues Trump might offer less cash and push Japan to do more, Smith said.

"That's where ... the Ishiba-Trump relationship could get a bit sticky," she said.

- After Abe -

Also triggering jitters is Trump's determination to slap trade tariffs on significant trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has actually postponed steps against the latter two nations pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will show him there are other methods to attain economic security," such as cooperating on technology, Shiraishi told AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, revealed after Trump's January inauguration, to invest as much as $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the United States, led by Japanese tech financial investment leviathan SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.

Reports said the leaders could also go over Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion quote to purchase US Steel, which Biden obstructed on nationwide security premises.

Japan and the United States are each other's top foreign financiers, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will concur on developing an investment-friendly environment.

During his very first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe took pleasure in warm relations.

As president-elect in December, Trump likewise hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a supper with Melania Trump at their Florida home.

Trump constructed a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith believes he had a "authentic fondness".

He will likely "see Ishiba through a different lens", demo.qkseo.in said Smith, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the personal".

Ishiba, 68, will not be the very first Japanese VIP to fulfill the 78-year-old Trump personally considering that he took workplace-- a difference held by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.