#us-japan-relations

#us-japan-relations

United States President Donald Trump has met Japan's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in Tokyo, welcoming her pledge to accelerate a military buildup and signing deals on trade and critical minerals. Trump on Tuesday lavished praise on Takaichi, saying she would be a great leader, while the prime minister said she planned to nominate the US president for a Nobel Peace Prize, according to the White House.

Although Trump is visiting one of America's most steadfast allies in Asia, there's no shortage of uncertainty while he's there. Sanae Takaichi, who became the country's first female prime minister only days ago, must solidify her relationship with Trump while defending her country's economic interests. Trump is trying to nail down $550 billion in Japanese investment as part of a trade agreement.

There is no doubt they're on a solid footing. I think - and you've got to look at it across four kind of buckets, if I could. There's a geostrategic, military, economic and then cultural. Going backwards, you know, there's the great pastime in Japan is baseball. You got a Japanese player - two players for the Dodgers... And he's taking America and Japan by storm.

In the opening moments of a new film called "Diamond Diplomacy," Shohei Ohtani holds the ball and Mike Trout holds a bat. These are the dramatic final moments of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The film puts those moments on pause to share the long and complex relationship between the United States and Japan through the prism of baseball, and through the stories of four Japanese players - Ohtani included - and their journeys to the major leagues.