TRANSCRIPT: President Trump and Japan PM Ishiba Joint Press Conference

They’ve just been started. Toyota is one, and, Nissan’s going to be doing something very exciting about US Steel.

They’ll be looking at an investment rather than a purchase. We didn’t like the idea. US Steel is a very important company to us. It was the greatest company in the world for fifteen years, many years ago, eighty years ago. And, we didn’t want to see that leave, and it wouldn’t actually leave, but the concept psychologically not good.

So, they’ve agreed to invest heavily in US Steel as opposed to own it. And that sounds very exciting. And we’re going to meet with Nissan next week, the head of Nissan, very great company, and, they’ll work out the details. I’ll help. I’ll be there to mediate and arbitrate.

And I had the privilege of working closely with a great prime minister, as you know, and you know him very well, Shinzo Abe, the longest serving prime minister in Japan’s history. Likewise, I expect that this prime minister is going to be a great one. I really believe that he’s going to be a great one. I’ve gotten to know him, for not long, but, I can see what they have. He’s got the qualities of greatness.

He’s going to do a fantastic job for Japan and for the Japanese people. And I’d like now to invite the prime minister to say a few words, and then we’ll take some questions. Mr. Prime Minister, thank you.

Prime Minister’s Remarks

PRIME MINISTER SHIGERU ISHIBA: Thank you very much. Mr. President Trump, I would like to sincerely thank you for inviting me to the White House today immediately following your inauguration.

I also thank you for your very warm hospitality. I have come to Washington DC. with the hope of having a face-to-face meeting, and deepening. our mutual understanding at this early date with President Trump, who is now leading the United States, the most important country for Japan’s diplomacy and security, and aligning our perspectives and visions that Japan and the United States should pursue.

What should we do to advance the national interests of both of our countries in synergy and to realize peace and prosperity in the Indo Pacific? I am convinced that the answer lies in further strengthening the strong and unwavering Japan U.S. Alliance to achieve a free and open Indo Pacific.

President and I concurred to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the alliance and to work closely in addressing strategic challenges that both countries are facing in this region. I conveyed to the president that Japan, as an ally of the United States, is ready to share responsibilities and to play its own role. I also reiterated Japan’s unwavering commitment to fundamentally reinforcing its defense capabilities and reconfirmed the unwavering commitment by the United States to the defense of Japan.

We reaffirmed that Article five of the Japan U.S. Treaty of Mutual Corporation and Security applies to the Senkaku Islands. With half of the world’s population and approximately sixty percent of the world’s GDP, the Indo Pacific serves as the engine of growth and vitality for Japan, the United States and the world.

President and I also concurred that the United States and Japan will make further efforts in a wide range of areas, working hand in hand together to realize a free and open Indo Pacific. In this context, we also concurred the further advanced cooperation of the multilayered networks of the like minded countries, including the Quad and trilateral cooperation with the Republic of Korea and the Philippines. We also discussed Japan United States cooperation to bring about growth and prosperity.

Economic cooperation, including on economic security, is important from the perspective of strengthening alliance cooperation. Japan is the closest economic partner of the United States and has been the world’s largest investor in the United States for five consecutive years. Also, with the inauguration of President Trump, the momentum for Japanese companies to invest in the United States is growing even stronger.

Today, I conveyed my willingness to cooperate together to elevate Japan’s investment in the United States to an unprecedented amount of one trillion dollars.

President Trump and myself also concurred to elevate the Japan U.S. Partnership to an even higher level through improving business environment and increasing bilateral investment and employment, strengthening each other’s industries, leading the world in developing advanced technologies such as AI and leading edge semiconductors and strongly promoting efforts to harness the energy of the growing market in the Indo Pacific region.

We also confirmed that we will cooperate to strengthen energy security between the two countries, including increasing exports of United States liquefied natural gas to Japan in a mutually beneficial manner. Regarding foreign exchange, as in the first Trump administration, close discussions will continue between Japanese and the US finance ministers who are experts in this field.

We also held candid discussions on challenges the Indo Pacific region is facing. We confirmed that we are resolved not to allow unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion and to oppose such attempts in the East and South China Seas in order to fully defend a free and open Indo Pacific. We also reiterated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Regarding North Korea, we affirmed the need to address its nuclear and missile program, which poses a serious threat to Japan, the U.S. And beyond, and that Japan and the U.S. will work together toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea.

As the abductees and their families continue to age, I conveyed my strong sense of urgency and determination directly to President Trump and gained his renewed strong support for the immediate resolution of the abductions issue. While this was my first face to face meeting with President Trump, we were able to openly and frankly exchange views, and our meeting turned out to be very productive and meaningful. As a result of today’s meeting, which marked a new departure for the Japan U.S. Relations, we are issuing a Japan U.S. Joint leader statement.

This document will serve as a compass for further cooperation between our two countries. On the basis of these deliverables, I look forward to working together with president Trump, who I respect immensely to usher in a new golden age of Japan US relations. I look forward to welcoming you to Japan, and I’m very excited about that prospect. Thank you, mister president.

DONALD TRUMP: Thank you very much. Thank you. Any questions, please? Peter?

Questions from Reporters

REPORTER: President Trump, I do want Joe’s. Do you want us to pay today? I love Donald Trump as much as a great man as long as other man. What does the first lady think about that?

DONALD TRUMP: Oh, I think she’ll be okay with it somehow.

REPORTER: So democratic lawmakers are really upset.

REPORTER: [Question Inaudible]

DONALD TRUMP: Well, it doesn’t, but they get it very easily. I mean, we don’t have very good security in our country, and they get it very easily. And what we’re doing, if you look at, what has just taken place with respect to some of the investments that have been made on another agency that people have been talking about for years, but nobody did anything about it.

It’s absolutely obscene. Dangerous, bad, very costly. I mean, virtually every investment made is a con job. There’s nothing of value to anybody unless there’s a kickback scheme going on, which is possible. And we’re going to be doing more and more of that. We’re going to be looking at Department of Education. We’re going to be looking at even our military. We’re going to be looking at tremendous amounts of money, Peter, being spent on things that bear no relationship to anything and have no value. We’re talking about trillions of dollars. It will be, in the end, trillions of dollars being absolutely wasted and perhaps illegally.

I would say certainly in many cases illegally, but perhaps illegally overall. And, I’m very proud of the job that this group of young people, generally young people, but very smart people, they’re doing. They’re doing it at my insistence. It would be a lot easier not to do it, but we have to, take some of these things apart to find the corruption. We found tremendous corruption.

REPORTER: You mentioned the Department of Education. What do you think you saw Democratic lawmakers trying to get into the Department of Education earlier today?

DONALD TRUMP: Oh, I see the same ones. I see Maxine Waters, Aloha Life. I see, you know, all these people. They don’t — they don’t love our country. They don’t love our country. We want great education. So they rank forty countries in education. We’re ranked dead last. Dead last. But the good news is we’re number one in one category. You know what that is? Cost per pupil. We spend more per pupil than any other country in the world.

You look at Norway, Denmark, Sweden, various countries all up and down, Finland. China does very well in education. And then you look at us, we spend much more money than they do per pupil or any other way. But we spend much more money than they do, and yet we’re ranked this year — Biden’s last year. Congratulations, Joe. We’re ranked dead last. So what I want to see is education. Number one, I like choice. We all like choice. But beyond choice, long beyond choice, I want to see it go back to the states where great states that do so well have no debt.

They’re operated brilliantly. They’ll be as good as Norway or Denmark or Sweden or any of the other highly ranked countries. They’ll be they’ll probably have thirty I figured thirty five to thirty eight states will be right at the top, and the rest will come along. They’ll have to come along competitively. And by the way, we’ll be spending a lot less money, and we’ll have great education.

REPORTER: And part of DOGE talked about a cutting effort. One of the DOGE engineers was fired for some inappropriate posts. The vice president says bring him back. What do you say?

DONALD TRUMP: Well, I don’t know about the particular thing, but if the vice president said that did you say that? I’m with the vice president. Thank you, Peter. Yeah. Go ahead, please. Yes. Red dress.

REPORTER: Mr. President Trump, just how strong do you want Japan’s military to be? And do you specifically hope that their increased military spending will deter China and North Korea? What did you talk about that? What today?

DONALD TRUMP: Well, I want our military to be the strongest. I also, don’t mind spending so much money on the military because we build it here. It’s made in the USA, all made in the USA. We have, you know, I rebuilt our military during my first term. Did a great job. We left some of it behind in Afghanistan, stupidly. There was no reason for that. But, it was still as much as it was. It was billions and billions of dollars, but it was a small part of it.

But we’re going to have the strongest military by far. We have great people. I want to congratulate Pete Hegseth for having gone through the gauntlet. He went through a lot, but he got through, and he’s going to be a tremendous — I have no doubt he’s going to be a tremendous leader. And other of the leaders sitting here, they’re in their own fields, they’re going to well, they could do something very, very, very great, and we expect great things.

But I expect the strongest military by far in the world, far stronger than China, far stronger than anybody. And that’s the way it is. Thank you very much. Would you like to ask a question, please? Go ahead.

REPORTER: Thank you, mister president. Thank you. This is Shiro Motu, from Nippon Television. My question to, let me ask two quick questions. Sure.

First, this is the first meeting between, mister president and, prime minister, Ishiba. So what kind of impression do you have on him? And number two, do you have an idea or do you have a plan to impose tariff against Japan so far? Thank you.

DONALD TRUMP: I think that he is going to be a great prime minister. I think he’s a very strong man, very, very strong. I have great respect for him. I’ve known him for a long time through a reputation. Shinzo Abe thought the world of him, and, I think he’s going to do a fantastic job as prime minister. Very strong person.

I wish he wasn’t so strong. I wish he was a little bit weaker than that, but that’s what I got. I have to get strong guys all the time. He’s going to be a great prime minister. I also, in terms of tariffs, I mean, we’re going to have tariffs, mostly reciprocal tariffs where we go with and I’m going to be probably meeting on that, Monday or Tuesday, have an announcement, probably a news conference, but probably reciprocal tariffs where, a country pays so much or charges us so much, and we do the same.

So very reciprocal because I think that’s the only fair way to do it. That way, nobody’s hurt. They charge us, we charge them. It’s the same thing. And I seem to be going in that line as opposed to a a flat fee tariff. Okay? Yes. Go please. Please go ahead. Why don’t you go ahead?

REPORTER: This is Ota from Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper. I have a question for Prime Minister Ishiba. So this is your very first summit meeting. What was your impression of President Trump? Were you able to build a good relationship of trust and confidence?

In Northeast Asia, there are many challenges, China, North Korea, and so forth. And with the president Trump, what did you appeal to him? And what kind of understanding were you able to obtain? On the economic field, there is the acquisition of U.S. Steel, the buy Nippon Steel and there are expansion of import of LNG. What were the communication discussion that you have with President Trump? For the one trillion dollars of investment from Japan’s investment, what was his reaction? What about your communication on tariff front?

PRIME MINISTER SHIGERU ISHIBA: This is the first time that I met with President Trump in person. So this was the first time meeting face to face. But, for many, many years, I have watched him on television. So it was quite — I was so excited to see such a celebrity on television, to see in person. On television, he is frightening, and he has the very strong personality. But when I met with him, actually, he was very sincere and very powerful and with strong will for the United States and for the whole world. I was able, to feel that.

This is not the sort of publishing, or trying to suck up to him. For the world peace and for the regional stability that both of our countries need to play a role and make our endeavors and responsibility. As for the increase of our defense expenditures, it is not that we are told by the United States to do so. Japan, on our own, on our own decision and on our own responsibility, we need to increase our defense expenditures. But of course, we need to communicate and consult with the United States. But the responsibility is with Japan, and the decision is with Japan.

Now on the tariffs, that if it is mutually beneficial, tariffs need to be set. And as for Japan, as Mr. President has introduced to us, an unprecedented investment will be made from Japan to the United States, and so many jobs will be created. So one trillion dollars is the target. And this will be to the benefit of the United States, but also to the benefit of Japan as well. Investment is mutually beneficial. So be it with U.S. Steel, as Mr. President says, it is not acquisition. It is investment.

So the Japanese technology will be provided, and the better quality products will be manufactured in the United States. And the US Steel will make products which will contribute not only to the United States and Japan, but also to the whole world. It is not one-sided. It will be reciprocal. It will be mutually beneficial, and I believe we were able to share on this. And that is the biggest result that we — I have seen today.

DONALD TRUMP: Thank you you very much. Go ahead, please.

REPORTER: I wanted to ask you about that US Steel deal. So you’re saying that is this a, is this a restructuring of the deal that’s happening? And then will you approve?

DONALD TRUMP: They’re doing it as an investment, no longer a purchase. Okay. I didn’t want it purchased, but investment, I love. And they’re going to do a big investment subject to getting the deal done. And that’s a big proof, whether you I’m okay with that. Sure.

REPORTER: And to the prime minister, what was your argument, to the president related to US Steel? And one more on tariffs, mister president, if I could. You said on tariffs that you’d like them to have be reciprocal back and forth. What was the reception from the Japanese prime minister when you said that or when you talked —

DONALD TRUMP: Well, we didn’t discuss tariffs too much. We really discussed many other things, including the pipeline in Alaska, which I think is going to be maybe the most exciting thing with Doug. Chris, we discussed that at length, the pipeline. I mean, it seemed to be of great interest to them. It’s, we have potentially, more oil and gas than in Saudi Arabia, just Alaska. We have the most of any country in the world. It’s a big asset for the United States, but we haven’t used it.

We go to Venezuela. We go to other places to take oil and gas, and we have more than anybody. It’s, an amazing phenomenon that took place over the last four years. Nobody understands it, including the people that were in charge of it. They had no clue what they were doing. So it was, it was a big problem. They were surprised, actually, too. They were saying why why didn’t they they wouldn’t sell them LNG. They wouldn’t sell – Japan wanted to buy LNG, and Biden wouldn’t sell it. And I’m trying to figure that one out.

Maybe it was the environment. He might answer that question. He — he’s curious about that himself, I think. Thank you very much. If you want to answer that, you may, about LNG that the United States wouldn’t sell you LNG.

PRIME MINISTER SHIGERU ISHIBA: That was a really unfortunate thing, but the current administration — I’m sorry — the previous administration was not allowing the LNG to be exported to us. I believe that president Trump on the day of his inauguration, allowed us to resume, this importing. I think this is something that is really wonderful for us. And as the country of Japan, we are interested in importing not just LNG, but also bioethanol, ammonia, and other reasonable — other resources at a stable price a reasonable price, from the United States.

And we also want to improve the trade deficit that the US has towards Japan. So if we are able to buy those at a stable and reasonable price, I think it would be a wonderful situation. And for that, I am very appreciative to President Trump. And we also look forward to LNG and hope that it’s a success.

DONALD TRUMP: I wanted to say that, on the ethanol, Iowa is going to be very happy. All of the Nebraska, all of our farm states are going to be very happy. They want ethanol and we’ll be able to provide it to our farmers, who I like and they like me. I think they’re going to be very, very happy. We’ve opened the sale of LNG immediately, actually. We did it a few days ago.

And China right now, not only China, everybody wants to buy it. We have more than anybody, and they’re all buying it. But Japan, in particular, we’re very happy that, they’re going to start immediately. And we can supply it to the world, but we’re supplying it to Japan, and they can always be right up in the front of the line. Yeah. Go ahead, please. Go ahead.

REPORTER: Thank you so much. Mister prime minister, I have a question for you as well. But, mister president, I’ll start with you.

Well, quickly to follow-up on what Peter was asking, have you directed Elon Musk to review Pentagon spending given it’s the the biggest discretionary spending in the federal budget?

DONALD TRUMP: Education, just about everything. We’re going to go through everything just as it was so bad with what we just went through with this horrible situation we just went through. And I guess ninety seven percent of the people have been dismissed. It was very, very unfortunate.

You’re not going to find anything like that, but, you’re going to find a lot. And, I’ve instructed him to go check out education, to check out the Pentagon, which is the military. And, you know, sadly, you’ll find some things that are pretty bad, but I don’t think proportionally you’re going to see anything like we just saw.

REPORTER: And your FBI has turned over a list to the justice department of the FBI agents who worked on the January six rioters cases. Are you planning to fire the FBI agents who worked on those investigations?

DONALD TRUMP: No. But I’ll fire some of them because some of them were corrupt. I have no doubt about that. I got to know a lot about, that business, that world. I got to know a lot about that world that we had some corrupt agents, and those people are gone or they will be gone. And it’ll be done quickly and, very surgically. Did you have a question for the prime minister? Talk up.

REPORTER: Are those the ones who work on the January — ?

DONALD TRUMP: I don’t know. I don’t know. I know we have some that are very corrupt, and we don’t like it. We’re going to bring back the reputation of the FBI. Kash Patel is going to do a great job, and we’re going to bring back the reputation of the FBI, which has been hurt very badly. It’s been devastated over the last four years.

REPORTER: And, mister prime minister, you have just been meeting for the first time with president Trump. The last administration famously did not have hardly any, if at all, contact with North Korea. President Trump certainly did the last time he was in office. Would you like to see him resume that contact and also that in person meeting that he had with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un?

PRIME MINISTER SHIGERU ISHIBA: That is something that the United States needs to determine on its own, and it’s not something that we should request. Having said that, but, for example, in Vietnam or Singapore, the president of the United States, president Trump, was able to meet with Kim Jong Un. I think that’s a very positive development. So now that president Trump is in power again, if we are able to move towards resolving issues with the North Korea, I think it would be agreed. And of course, for us, that includes not only denuclearization but also resolving the abductee issue.

And so not only the victims of the abductees but also their families too are aging and so our time is limited. So, if the President of the United States, if President Trump is able to resolve this issue, we do understand that it’s a Japan issue first and foremost. Having said that, we would love to continue to cooperate with them.

DONALD TRUMP: It’s actually a good question, and we will have relations with North Korea and with Kim Jong Un. I got along with them very well as you know. I think I stopped the war. I think if, I wouldn’t have won that particular election, you would have ended up in a very bad — a very bad situation. But I did, and we had a good relationship. And, I think it’s a very big asset for everybody that I do get along with him. I like I mean, I get along with him.

He gets along with me, and that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. And I can tell you that Japan, likes the idea because their relationship is not very good with him. And, if I can have a relationship with not only him but other people throughout the world where there seem to be difficulties, I think that’s a tremendous asset for the world, not just the United States. Go ahead. Go ahead.

REPORTER: I have a question for you and for the prime minister as well. Mister president, I wonder what you make of the criticism from Democrats that these staff reductions, the cuts that Elon Musk and Doge are doing are an unlawful power grab. Is there anything you’ve told Elon Musk he cannot touch?

DONALD TRUMP: Well, we haven’t discussed that much. I’ll tell him to go here, go there. He does it. He’s got a very capable group of people. Very, very, very, very capable. They know what they’re doing. They’ll ask questions, and they’ll see immediately as somebody gets tongue tied that they’re either crooked or don’t know what they’re doing.

We have very smart people going in. So, I’ve instructed them go into education, go into military, go into other things as we go along, and they’re finding massive amounts of fraud, abuse, waste, all of these things. So, but I will pick out a target, and I say go in. There could be areas that we won’t, but I think everything’s fertile. You know, we’re a government.

We have to be open. And as an open government, I don’t know. I guess you could say maybe some high intelligence or something, and I’ll do that myself if I have to. But, generally speaking, I’ll just say go. But he will be looking at education pretty quickly, and he will be looking at military too.

REPORTER: Both of federal spending is Social Security, Medicare programs like that. Would you like to see him look at those programs as well?

DONALD TRUMP: Well, they don’t really have to be looked at by him. They could be looked at by us. Social Security will not be touched. It’ll only be strengthened. We have, illegal immigrants on Social Security, and we’re going to find out who they are and take them out. We have, illegal immigrants in other Medicare. We have, we’ve had a lot of bad people, a lot of people that shouldn’t be on that were put on when through California. They come a lot of them come out of California.

We’re not going to stand for that. So we’re going to strengthen our social security, etcetera. We’re not going to touch it other than to make it stronger. But we have people that shouldn’t be on, and those people we have to weed out. Most of them or many of them so far have been illegal immigrants. They shouldn’t even be in the country. Do you have a question for the prime minister?

REPORTER: I do. Mister prime minister, the the president’s affinity for tariffs is well known. If the US places tariffs on Japanese imports, would Japan retaliate?

PRIME MINISTER SHIGERU ISHIBA: I am, unable to respond to a theoretical question. That’s the official answer that we have.

DONALD TRUMP: That’s a very good answer. Very good answer. Wow. That’s very good. He knows what he’s doing. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. Thank you.

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