By John Geddie, Tim Kelly and Trevor Hunnicutt
TOKYO/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump departed for Tokyo on Monday, where he was scheduled to meet Japan's emperor and newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as part of an Asia trip aimed at securing trade deals, investment and increased defence spending.
Trump, on his longest journey abroad since taking office in January, announced a slew of deals with Southeast Asian countries and oversaw the signing of a ceasefire agreement
between Thailand and Cambodia during his first stop in Malaysia.
His trip is expected to conclude in a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, as negotiators for the world's top two economies seek to avert rekindling a devastating trade war.
While Trump has already landed a $550 billion investment pledge from Japan in exchange for respite on punishing import tariffs, Takaichi is hoping to further impress Trump with promises to purchase U.S. pickup trucks, soybeans and gas.
"Just leaving Malaysia, a great and very vibrant Country. Signed major Trade and Rare Earth Deals, and yesterday, most importantly, signed the Peace Treaty between Thailand and Cambodia. NO WAR! Millions of lives saved," Trump said in a post on Truth Social shortly before his departure.
"Such an honor to have gotten this done. Now, off to Japan!!!"
Takaichi, who became Japan's first female prime minister last week, told Trump that strengthening their countries' alliance was her "top priority" in their first phone call on Saturday.
Thousands of police have been deployed across the Japanese capital for Trump's arrival, with the arrest of a knife-wielding man outside the U.S. embassy on Friday and an anti-Trump protest planned in downtown Shinjuku adding to the tension.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his Japanese counterpart Ryosei Akazawa, architects of the tariff deal agreed in July, are set to hold a working lunch on Monday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, travelling with Trump alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is also expected to meet with his new counterpart Satsuki Katayama for the first time.
IMPERIAL WELCOME FOR RETURN OF TRUMP
Trump's first engagement in Japan will be to meet Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in the heart of Tokyo.
Trump was the first foreign leader to meet Naruhito after he came to the throne in 2019, continuing an imperial line that some claim is the world's oldest hereditary monarchy. Naruhito's role, however, is purely symbolic and it will be with Takaichi on Tuesday that the meaty diplomacy will take place.
Takaichi was a close ally of assassinated Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, who formed a bond with Trump over hours spent on the golf course during his first term, and appears to have already impressed the U.S. president.
"She’s great... we're going to be seeing her very soon. She's very friendly," Trump told reporters on Saturday after their call. "She was a very, very close ally and friend of Prime Minister Abe and you know he was one of my favourites."
The two are due to meet at the nearby Akasaka Palace, the same venue that Trump met Abe six years ago, where Trump will be welcomed by a military honour guard.
As well as investment pledges, Takaichi is expected to reassure Trump that Tokyo is willing to do more on security after telling lawmakers on Friday that she will accelerate Japan's biggest defence build-up since World War Two.
Japan plays host to the biggest concentration of U.S. forces abroad and Trump has previously complained that Tokyo is not spending enough towards defending its islands from an increasingly assertive China.
"Some kind of statement on standing shoulder-to-shoulder together to deter and respond to attempts to change the status quo in the region by force or coercion would be useful," said Kevin Maher, a Japan expert at NMV Consulting in Washington and former U.S. diplomat.
While Takaichi has said she will accelerate a plan to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP, she will struggle to commit Japan to any further increases that Trump asks for due to her weak political standing, sources told Reuters earlier.
To do that she would need to win approval from parliament. Her coalition government is two seats short of a majority in the decision-making lower house.
(Reporting by Tim Kelly and John Geddie in Tokyo and Trevor Hunnicut in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
