Trump praises Takaichi for doing ‘tremendous job’ ahead of Xi’s visit to US

Two leaders hail their good working relationship, with Takaichi saying the United States and Japan can look forward to deepening ties3-MIN READ3-MIN0ListenPublished: 3:31am, 23 Sep 2026Updated: 3:37am, 23 Sep 2026US President Donald Trump praised his strong relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in New York on Tuesday, days before he is due to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.The talks, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, came at a time when relations between Beijing and Tokyo show no signs of thawing.Both leaders hailed their good working relationship, with Takaichi saying the two countries looked forward to deepening ties.Trump lavished praise on the Japanese leader, saying she had “done a tremendous job” and was “going to go down in history”.“It’s an honour to be with her. She’s a friend of mine. We’ve gotten to know each other very well over the last period of time,” Trump said at the start of talks.02:29Trump’s talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi off to positive startHe added that he kept a close eye on Takaichi’s approval ratings and was “pleased” with what he saw, describing her as “tough and smart”.Refraining from naming specific countries or crises, Takaichi said the meeting came as the security environment in Asia had become “so severe”, adding that her bilateral meeting with the US president “shows the world the strength of the Japan-US alliance”.