Takaichi, Trump show unity aboard US aircraft carrier
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday demonstrated their unity in a speech to members of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces and US Forces Japan aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
"The cherished alliance between the United States and Japan is one of the most remarkable relationships in the entire world," Trump said in the hangar of the aircraft carrier at the US Navy's Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. "It's a foundation of peace and security in the Pacific."
He invited Takaichi to the podium, saying, "I have a really great respect for...the first female prime minister in the history of Japan."
"I will take the Japan-US alliance to a higher level with President Trump," Takaichi said.
"Peace will be protected by firm determination and action," she added, expressing her intent to significantly strengthen Japan's defence capabilities in light of the increasingly severe security environment in East Asia.
Trump also said in his speech that the United States will soon deliver missiles to Japan for F-35 stealth fighters, which are operated by the Air SDF.
The two leaders arrived at the Yokosuka base together aboard the presidential helicopter Marine One.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
