President Donald Trump on Friday threatened tariffs on Japanese goods if the US trade deficit with Tokyo is not equalized, as he met Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Washington.
Ishiba, who is only the second foreign leader to visit the White House since Trump returned to power, heaped praise on the US president as he tried to build a bond with the mercurial Trump.
As they met in the Oval Office, Ishiba hailed Trump's "undaunted presence, that you stood up and you raised your fist high in the sky" after the Republican survived an assassination attempt last year.
The Japanese premier -- whose country is a key US ally against a rising China and a nuclear-armed North Korea -- said his country was the biggest investor in the United States and would step up its spending.
But Trump insisted that he wanted "equality" in the trade balance between the two countries -- and said "yes" when asked whether tariffs could follow if no progress was made.
Trump also said the two would discuss the thorny issue of Nippon Steel's blocked takeover bid of US Steel.
The president has previously supported his predecessor Joe Biden's decision to stop the deal, but US media reported that he might relent.
An avowed "geek" and model warship fan, Ishiba is unlikely to replicate Trump's close relationship with former premier and golf buddy Shinzo Abe in the US president's first term.
But Trump said that Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, had "tremendous respect" for Ishiba.
The key for Ishiba will be to protect Japan from the tariffs that Trump has slapped on China, imposed then halted on Mexico and Canada, and promised to levy on the European Union.
"It would be wonderful if we could affirm that we will work together for the development of this region, and the world, and for peace," Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo before the trip.
The soft-spoken, cigarette-smoking Ishiba is hoping Japanese investment in the United States will appeal to Trump's "America First" policies.
The leaders are expected to issue a joint statement vowing to build a "golden age" of bilateral relations, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported, echoing the slogan from the US president's inaugural speech.
Ishiba is also set to tell Trump that Japan will increase defense purchases from the United States, the Nikkei report said.
Japan is one of Washington's closest allies in Asia, with around 54,000 US military personnel stationed in the country.
Under Abe, Japan was shielded from some of Trump's more punishing tendencies, such as sudden trade wars and pressure to increase financial contributions towards hosting US soldiers.
Days after Trump's first election victory, Abe rushed to deliver to him a gold-plated golf club. Trump also hosted Abe's widow Akie for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida this past December.
A Japanese foreign ministry official said in Tokyo that "we hope the leaders will be able to build a relationship of personal trust."
