Japan PM Takaichi talks up Trump bond in first talks since China clash
This was the first conversation between Japan PM Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump since her remarks on Taiwan.
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a bilateral meeting at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, Oct 28, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
TOKYO: "Call me anytime" was the message Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she received from United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Nov 25) in their first phone call since Tokyo's leader sparked a major diplomatic bust-up with China.
Takaichi's off-the-cuff remark in parliament earlier this month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger Japanese military action prompted a furious response from Beijing that has included a boycott on travel to Japan.
China claims Taiwan, which sits just over 100km from Japanese territory, and has not ruled out using force to take control of it. The island's government rejects Beijing's claim and says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
Trump has not commented publicly on the dispute between Japan - a key US security ally - and rival superpower China, a silence that analysts say will be concerning to some officials in Tokyo.
In brief remarks following her call with Trump on Tuesday, Takaichi sought to dispel any concerns that the US president did not have her back.
"President Trump mentioned that he and I are extremely good friends, and that I should call him anytime," Takaichi told reporters.
Trump explained to Takaichi the recent state of US-China relations, including his phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, she added.
Xi told Trump in that call that Taiwan's "return to China" is a key part of Beijing's vision for the world order, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.
Trump touted progress in trade talks and said relations with China were "extremely strong" in a post on Truth Social following his call with Xi. He made no mention of any discussions on Taiwan, however.
Japan was relieved that Trump arranged the call so soon after his discussion with Xi, said a government official with knowledge of the talks, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump's call with Takaichi.
"RETURN" NOT AN OPTION
Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Tuesday that for the island's 23 million people, a "return" to China is not an option.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters at a regular news conference on Tuesday that stable US-China relations were "extremely important for the international community, including Japan".
He declined to comment on Xi's reported remarks to Trump about Taiwan, which is surrounded by waters that provide a vital sea route for trade in goods and energy that Tokyo depends on.
Encouraged by the US, Japan has in recent years embarked on a historic military build-up to counter Beijing's growing might and assertiveness in the region.
Earlier on Monday, Beijing criticised Tokyo's plan to deploy a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit to Yonaguni, its island closest to Taiwan, calling it an attempt to "create regional tension and provoke military confrontation".
Japan scrambled a fighter jet after it detected a Chinese drone flying between Yonaguni and Taiwan on Monday.
While Takaichi has so far declined to acquiesce to Beijing's demands to retract her remarks on Taiwan, Tokyo has said it is willing to hold talks with Beijing at all levels to tamp down tensions.
Japan's vice foreign minister met with China's ambassador in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss pending issues between the two countries and future responses, local media reported.
Beijing, however, ruled out a potential icebreaker meeting between Takaichi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of last weekend's G20 meeting in South Africa.
Analysts say that is one of several signals that Japan-China relations could be headed for a long winter under Takaichi, a hardline nationalist who has enjoyed strong public approval ratings since she came to power last month.
WORRIES OVER TRUMP'S TAIWAN STANCE
While Trump has not directly waded into the dispute between Japan and China over Taiwan, his ambassador to Japan, George Glass, has said the US supports Tokyo in the face of China's "coercion".
Some officials in Tokyo have long worried that Trump may be prepared to weaken support for Taiwan in pursuit of a trade deal with China, a move that may embolden Beijing and spark conflict in East Asia.
"The Trump administration cannot be ruled out as one that might sacrifice the Taiwan issue for trade 'deals' with China," Seiko Mimaki, a professor specialising in US politics and diplomacy at Japan's Doshisha University, wrote in an editorial in the Asahi newspaper on Tuesday.
"In formulating policy towards China, it is essential to fully grasp these tendencies and risks inherent in the Trump administration," she added.
Asked by Reuters at a press conference on Tuesday whether Tokyo was concerned about Trump's public silence on its dispute with China, Japan Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said: "It is not the case, and has never been the case, that the White House or the State Department comments on every single issue, expressing support or non-support on each matter."
