On Thursday, March 19th, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takashi visited Washington D.C. and met with U.S. President Trump at the White House.
Before the meeting began, Takashi stated that the Iran issue would have a huge impact on the global economy, but she believed that only Trump could achieve global peace.
Takashi also revealed that she would discuss economic security issues in areas such as energy and minerals with President Trump and would propose Japan’s solution for stabilizing energy markets. She also mentioned the increasingly precarious security situation in the Indo-Pacific region.
Trump first congratulated Takashi on her landslide election victory in Japan and stated that he would discuss trade issues with her.
Through a translator, Takashi said, “The situation in the Middle East and around the world is extremely serious; we are facing an extremely severe security environment.”
“Due to this development, the global economy is about to suffer greatly.”
She then said she believed that only Trump could achieve global peace.
Takashi, through a translator, said, “We cannot allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Therefore, Japan has been urging Iran and communicating with other world partners.”
“Furthermore, Japan condemns Iran’s actions, such as attacks on neighboring regions and effectively or actually blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” she said.
When asked if he was satisfied with the level of support Japan was providing the U.S. on the Iran issue, Trump said, “We will discuss this issue today.”
He expressed hope that Japan is increasing efforts on the Iran issue.
Due to post-World War II restrictions, Japan faces practical difficulties in sending warships to the Strait of Hormuz. However, Takashi may propose some alternative feasible solutions.
Trump said, “I hope Japan will increase efforts because, you know, we have this relationship with Japan. We have 45,000 troops stationed in Japan. We have invested a lot of money in Japan.”
“We don’t need too much. We don’t need anything actually. To be honest, we don’t need anything from Japan or any other country. But I think it’s only natural for countries to make greater efforts,” he added.
Regarding Japan, Takashi nodded and confirmed this.
“We are defending the Strait of Hormuz for everyone,” Trump said. “As for NATO, they don’t want to help us defend the strait, and yet they are the ones who need to defend it the most. But now their attitude has improved a lot because they see my attitude.”
During the meeting with Takashi, a reporter asked Trump if he planned to deploy more troops to the Middle East, to which the President answered, “No, I will not increase troops anywhere. If I were to increase troops, I certainly wouldn’t tell you, but I will not increase troops.”
Earlier, Reuters quoted a U.S. official and three informed sources as saying that the Trump administration was considering deploying thousands of American troops to the Middle East to enhance military operations in the region.
When asked about the phenomenon of defection among Iranian officials, Trump called on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to respond.
Bessent said, “We have seen defections among all levels of Iranian officials because they are beginning to realize the current state of the Iranian regime… It is very likely that this regime will collapse on its own.”
“In the Treasury Department, we have seen them moving money out of the country. We are trying to recover this money to return it to the Iranian people,” the Treasury Secretary added.
Trump then supplemented, “There are also many military personnel defecting. Many Iranian military personnel are defecting.”
When asked about media reports that the Pentagon was seeking $200 billion in funding for a war with Iran, Trump stated that the U.S. needs more funding support for the war with Iran for “many reasons.”
Earlier on Thursday, Defense Secretary Haggis stated at a press conference that the Pentagon would request more funding from Congress for the war with Iran.
The President revealed that his first visit to China in his second term had been rescheduled and would be postponed by a month and a half.
According to Nikkei News and Bloomberg, the second-phase total commitment of Japanese investments and loans to the U.S. is expected to be around 10 trillion yen (approximately $629 billion), focusing mainly on next-generation nuclear reactors and gas power projects.
As reported by Bloomberg, a White House official revealed that the two leaders are expected to announce that General Electric’s Vernova and Hitachi will build BWRX-300 small modular nuclear reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, with a total investment of up to $40 billion.
Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toshiba, and IHI are considering participating in the construction of Westinghouse Electric Company’s large nuclear reactors. The construction of small modular nuclear reactors and two natural gas power plants is also expected to be included in the second phase.
In July 2025, the U.S. and Japan reached a tariff agreement, promising a total of $550 billion in investments, loans, and loan guarantees.
In February 2026, they announced the first phase of investments and financing in the U.S., totaling $36 billion. These projects include gas power generation, crude oil handling ports, and a synthetic diamond factory.
Additionally, the U.S. and Japan have reached an agreement on the joint development of rare earth elements, lithium, and copper. The two countries aim to reduce their reliance on critical minerals from China by strengthening their supply chains.
For Japan, the U.S.-Japan trade agreement solidifies their relationship with the United States by securing more favorable tariffs for automobile exports and opening a potential direct investment expressway. For the U.S., these massive financial transactions can serve as a symbol of industrial revival and prove that Trump’s tariff policies are correct.