US President Donald Trump and Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi have signed a framework agreement for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths through mining and processing.
The agreement was signed today during Mr Trump's visit to Japan, part of his wider Asia trip, as both countries look to strengthen their rare earth supply chains used everywhere from renewable energy to electronics and cars.
It follows the US and Australia inking a deal for "critical mineral and energy dominance" in a new partnership that will tip billions into mining projects in the US and Australia.
The US and Japan planned to cooperate through the use of economic policy tools and coordinated investment to accelerate development of diversified, liquid, and fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths, the White House said in a statement.
China processes more than 90 per cent of the world's rare earths and has recently expanded export curbs, including new elements on its control list and tightened oversight of foreign producers that rely on Chinese materials.
The US, in contrast, has one operational rare earth mine and is racing to secure minerals vital for electric vehicles, defence systems and advanced manufacturing.
Mr Trump plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
As part of their deal, the US and Japan agreed to streamline and deregulate permitting timelines and processes for critical minerals and rare earths, as well as to address non-market policies and unfair trade practices.
Both countries would consider a mutually complementary stockpiling arrangement and would cooperate with other international partners to ensure supply chain security, the White House statement added.
Trump praises Japan's 'great' female leader
Mr Trump lavished praise on Ms Takaichi, Japan's first female leader, welcoming her pledge to accelerate a military build-up and signing deals on trade and critical minerals.
Ms Takaichi, a close ally of Mr Trump's friend and golfing partner the late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, said she would nominate Mr Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
"In such a short period of time the world started to enjoy more peace," Ms Takaichi told reporters through an interpreter.
"I myself was so impressed and inspired by you Mr President," she added.
She was also expected to offer a package of US investments under a $US550 billion ($838 billion) deal agreed this year, including shipbuilding, and increased purchases of US soybeans, natural gas and F-150 utes, sources familiar with the talk said.
Those gestures may temper any Trump demands for Tokyo to spend more on defending islands from an increasingly assertive China, which Ms Takaichi sought to head off by pledging last week to fast-track plans to increase defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP.
"Trump has said he wants to see American automobiles running around Tokyo's streets, but Tokyo streets are narrow, so putting F-150s there isn't exactly practical," said Lai-Ha Chan, senior lecturer in Social and Political Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney.
"Japan can show symbolic gestures like buying more US goods but, like this, it doesn't mean it's practical.
"Takaichi and Trump are very much aligned on conservative social values like same sex marriage and transgender rights; they have a lot of common ground at least in terms of values and rhetoric."
Takaichi's 'charm offensive'
Mr Trump and Ms Takaichi posed for photos at the Akasaka Palace in downtown Tokyo.
"It's a very strong handshake," Mr Trump said.
"Everything I know from Shinzo and others, you will be one of the great prime ministers," Mr Trump told Ms Takaichi as the pair sat down for discussions with their delegations.
"I'd also like to congratulate you on being the first woman prime minister. It's a big deal."
Ms Takaichi gifted Mr Trump Mr Abe's putter, a golf bag signed by Japanese major winner Hideki Matsuyama, and a gold-leaf golf ball, according to photos posted on X by Trump's assistant Margo Martin.
"Japan's new prime minister has only been in office for a week, and she doesn't have much foreign policy experience, so she needs to show what she's capable of," Dr Chan said.
"Takaichi will be using a 'charm offensive' to win Trump's favour and get the deal done, and Trump just wants to say he made a 'beautiful deal'. That's his style."
Dr Chan said Ms Takaichi's approach would be "measured, not massive".
"She is still defining herself. If she can handle Trump and walk away with a win for Japan, it will be a big step toward showing she belongs in the role."
Mr Trump also praised Japan's efforts to purchase more US defence equipment, while Ms Takaichi said Mr Trump's role in securing ceasefires between Cambodia and Thailand and Israel and Palestinian militants were "unprecedented" achievements.
The US leader received a royal welcome shortly after his arrival on Monday, meeting with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace.
Seeking to emulate Abe's relationship
Mr Trump was last at the palace, an ornate residence built in a European style, in 2019 for talks with Mr Abe.
Ms Takaichi's gifts to Mr Trump and repeated references to Mr Abe are aimed at evoking memories of a close bond forged over hours the pair spent golfing together during Mr Trump's first term.
Mr Abe was assassinated in 2022, with the trial of his assailant coincidentally beginning in the western city of Nara on Tuesday.
A similar close relationship with the leader of Japan's key security and trade partner could help Ms Takaichi bolster her weak political position at home.
Although she has seen a surge in public support since becoming prime minister, her coalition government is two votes shy of a majority in parliament's lower house.
Mr Trump and Ms Takaichi will later visit the US naval base in Yokosuka near Tokyo, which is home to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, part of the US military's powerful presence in the region.
Mr Trump will then meet business leaders in Tokyo, before travelling on Wednesday to South Korea. In talks there with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Mr Trump said he hoped to seal a trade war truce between the world's two biggest economies.
Reuters/ABC
