Trump White House Posts ‘Japan Is Back’ Cap, Here Is What Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Responds

The White House on Tuesday posted to X a photo of two black caps embroidered with “JAPAN IS BACK,” signed by President Donald Trump and Japan’s newly elected prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, a bit of social-media stagecraft and diplomacy that drew a warm reply from Tokyo.

Takaichi Thanks Trump, Echoes Abe-Era Slogan On X

Takaichi amplified the post and reiterated her thanks. “My sincere appreciation to President Trump for his friendship. Japan, together with our ally, the U.S., is determined to do everything we can to contribute to peace and prosperity at the heart of the world,” she wrote on X, quoting the White House’s “JAPAN IS BACK!” photo.

The slogan echoes one championed by the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe, whose early rapport with Trump during his first stint helped anchor the alliance and headlined a day of pageantry and deals in Tokyo on Tuesday.

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Abe’s Legacy Framed Through Pageantry And Gifts

The hats weren’t the only nod to Abe’s legacy. Takaichi, an Abe protégé, presented Trump with golf memorabilia linked to the former leader. Abe, notably, was the first foreign leader to meet Trump after the 2016 U.S. election, a relationship nurtured over several rounds of golf.

As noted in a Reuters report, the leaders signed a rare-earths and critical-minerals agreement and a joint statement touting a “golden age” in U.S.-Japan ties. Trump, in turn, told Takaichi the United States would be there for “anything you want… any favors you need.”

Deals, Honors And A Recast Security Message

Takaichi rolled out full honors at Tokyo’s Akasaka State Guest House, where a guard of honor and band welcomed Trump before working talks. Over lunch, described in a White House readout as “American rice and American beef, deliciously made with Japanese ingredients,” Trump congratulated Takaichi for on becoming Japan’s first woman prime minister.

Trump, who earlier this year criticized the U.S.–Japan security treaty as “one-sided,” tempered that rhetoric in Tokyo, calling the alliance “strong” and offering expansive support.

The U.S. President is spending a week in Asia and has left Japan for South Korea on Wednesday and plans to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping there on Thursday.

Photo Courtesy: esfera on Shutterstock.com

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