US, Japan sign mineral deal
US President Donald Trump and Japan’s new Prime Minister Sane Takaichi have signed a framework agreement to secure supplies of key minerals and rare earths. BBC News. The BBC reported that the meeting, seen as an early test for Takaichi, marked the beginning of a new golden age for the alliance between their countries.
Meanwhile, the White House said the move aims to strengthen supply chains through coordinated investment and fair market practices. The White House also said that within six months of the agreement, both countries intend to take measures to support projects to produce finished goods for delivery to buyers in the US, Japan and other like-minded countries.
The deal was made during Trump’s first meeting with Takaichi since becoming Japan’s first female prime minister, with an emphasis on trade, defence and regional security. Japanese exports to the US will now be subject to a 15 per cent tariff, which had already been planned but was finalised today.
Meanwhile, Trump praised Japan’s first female leader, Sana Takaichi, during a meeting in Tokyo. White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt told reporters that Takaichi, Trump’s friend and golfing partner and a close ally of the late Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, had also said he would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
