Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrived at the White House on Friday with plans to convince President Trump to reverse his hardline stance opposing the acquisition of U.S. Steel by a Japanese company.
Mr. Ishiba received a warm welcome from his U.S. counterpart upon arriving at the West Wing of the White House. Mr. Trump greeted him at the door and walked him inside. Their day of diplomacy includes an Oval Office meeting and a joint press conference.
The two shook hands and smiled. Both waved to reporters who had gathered for the arrival. When asked if he had a message to Japan, Mr. Trump responded, “We love Japan.”
Mr. Ishiba is the second foreign leader to meet with Mr. Trump in his second administration. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the president earlier this week.
Yoshima Hayashi, a spokesman for the Japanese prime minister, said he believes the meeting will take the allies’ relationship to “new heights.”
This is the first between the two leaders. During Mr. Trump’s first term, Japan was led by Shinzo Abe, who bonded with the president during a round of golf. Mr. Abe stepped down as prime minister in 2020 and was assassinated in 2022.
U.S.-Japanese ties have been strained by the $15 billion bid by Japan’s largest steelmaker, Nippon Steel, to buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. Former President Biden blocked the deal last month, citing national security concerns.
As for Mr. Trump, he said on the campaign trail that U.S. Steel is too connected to America’s legacy and security to leave for foreign ownership.
Still, Eiji Hashimoto, Nippon Steel’s CEO, told reporters last month that there was “no reason or need to give up” on the acquisition.
“This is not just the most important matter for our company’s business strategy,” he said. “I am firmly convinced this is something extremely beneficial for Japan and the United States.”
On Thursday, Takahiro Mori, vice president of Nippon Steel, the world’s fourth-largest steelmaker, told reporters in Japan that the company hopes the Trump-Ishiba summit would be a “catalyst’ paving the way toward a deal. Nippon has sued the U.S. government over blocking the pact.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.