Tokyo, February 9: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday expressed appreciation for a message from US President Donald Trump, underscoring her commitment to further strengthening the Japan–US Alliance and confirming her upcoming visit to the White House.
“I am sincerely grateful to President Donald J. Trump for his warm words,” Takaichi said in a post on X, adding that she looked forward to continuing close cooperation between the two countries and to visiting the White House this spring.
Highlighting the depth of bilateral ties, the Japanese Prime Minister said the alliance and friendship between Japan and the United States are rooted in deep trust and strong, close cooperation. She stressed that there remains vast scope to expand cooperation across security, economic and strategic domains.
“The potential of our Alliance is limitless,” Takaichi said, adding that Japan and the United States should continue working together to ensure the alliance contributes to peace and prosperity for both nations and beyond.
Takaichi’s remarks came in response to a post by President Trump on his Truth Social platform, in which he publicly endorsed her as Japan went to the polls for a crucial legislative election on February 8. Describing the vote as “a very important Legislative Election” for Japan’s future, Trump praised Takaichi as a proven leader.
“The Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has already proven to be a strong, powerful, and wise Leader, and one that truly loves her Country,” Trump said. He added that he was looking forward to welcoming her to the White House on March 19, recalling his recent visit to Japan during which he said he was “extremely impressed” with her leadership.
Trump highlighted close coordination between Washington and Tokyo on national security and trade, noting that the two countries had worked together on “a very substantial Trade Deal, one that strongly benefits both Countries.” In a direct endorsement during a foreign election campaign, he said, “As President of the United States of America, it is my Honor to give a Complete and Total Endorsement of her, and what her highly respected Coalition is representing.”
He concluded his message with a strong vote of confidence, writing in capital letters, “SHE WILL NOT LET THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN DOWN!” and wished voters luck ahead of what he called their “very important Sunday Vote.”
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) went on to secure a decisive victory, winning a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives in Sunday’s general election, according to Kyodo News. Crossing the threshold of 310 seats in the 465-member lower house allows the LDP to pursue constitutional revision and pass legislation even if it is rejected by the upper House of Councillors, where the ruling coalition remains in a minority. The LDP is the first party in postwar Japan to achieve such a margin, Kyodo News reported.
Prime Minister Takaichi’s upcoming visit to Washington, her first since taking office, will precede President Trump’s planned April visit to China. The visit comes amid heightened regional tensions, particularly after Beijing took a harder line following Takaichi’s comments on a potential crisis in the Taiwan Strait, Kyodo News said.
Trump has repeatedly praised Japan’s commitment to making large-scale investments in the United States, a key element of a trade deal reached last summer following his tariff threats against Tokyo. Since her early days in office, Trump has publicly lauded Takaichi, describing her as a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he forged a close personal relationship during his first term.
On Sunday, the US State Department said the administration looks forward to advancing US security and economic priorities, as well as shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and globally, with Japan. A State Department spokesperson described the US–Japan alliance as “the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity” in the region, adding that it “has never been stronger,” according to Kyodo News.
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