&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Won’t let you down': Donald Trump boosts US-Japan economic relations by dinner and investment talks with business leaders")
US President Donald Trump hosted a dinner with influential business leaders, such as Apple’s Tim Cook, Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, and Rakuten’s Hiroshi Mikitani, to encourage increased Japanese investments in the US. During the event, held by US Ambassador George Glass, Trump assured attendees that the US would be a reliable partner, praising their companies and business acumen. Other key figures included OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, Toshiba’s Taro Shimada, SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, Honda’s Toshihiro Mibe, and Anduril Industries’ Palmer Luckey. The dinner menu featured spring rolls, salad, stuffed pasta, and apple crumble tart, according to a report in Bloomberg.
Howard Lutnick, the US Commerce Secretary, kicked off the dinner by revealing new potential investments from Japan in US projects. As part of a trade agreement made earlier, Trump had agreed to lower and cap tariffs on Japanese goods, with Japan pledging to invest $550 billion in US infrastructure. Lutnick noted that the deals discussed at the dinner could amount to around $490 billion, though many are still in early stages and represent estimated costs.
Trump had previously explained that the $550 billion would be utilised flexibly by the US, with 90% of the returns benefiting the country. Japan, in turn, has described the pledge as a combination of investments, loans, and guarantees designed to support Japanese companies operating in the US.
Trump also met with Japan’s newly elected female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, strengthening their diplomatic relationship. He expressed admiration for her groundbreaking achievement as Japan’s first female PM, calling it a ‘big deal’. The two leaders exchanged positive remarks, with Trump assuring Takaichi of America’s strong commitment to Japan. In a symbolic gesture, they signed black ‘Japan is Back’ baseball caps, reminiscent of Trump’s iconic ‘Make America Great Again’ caps.
