Takaichi and Trump discuss China ahead of Xi visit to U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as they participate in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday. | REUTERS

Sep 23, 2026

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, highlighting the strength of the bilateral alliance just two days before a highly anticipated U.S.-China leaders’ summit in Washington. 

“With the security environment becoming increasingly severe, including in Asia, the fact that Donald and I are holding talks here at U.N. headquarters today demonstrates the strength of the Japan-U.S. alliance to the world,” Takaichi said ahead of their closed-door meeting. 

The talks — the leaders’ first formal summit since Takaichi visited Washington in March — focused on issues surrounding China, including economic security, and cooperation on semiconductors, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.  

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