President Donald Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru on Friday at the White House, where they were set to discuss topics including North Korea and U.S. Steel.
Ishiba is the second foreign leader Trump has hosted since returning to the presidency, following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.
Trump greeted Ishiba at the entrance to the West Wing just before noon, before they headed to a meeting in the Oval Office.
The pair fielded questions from members of the press ahead of their private meeting. The leaders indicated they would discuss North Korea and the sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese company Nippon Steel, among other topics.
When asked if they would “discuss North Korea today,” Trump said that North Korea is always a topic of discussion with Japan.
“That will always be a topic, especially with Japan,” Trump said. “We will be discussing North Korea and many other things.”
Another reporter asked Trump if he changed his “mind about the sale of U.S. steel,” which has yet to be completed. In December, then-President-elect Trump came out against Japanese company Nippon Steel buying U.S. Steel in a Truth Social post, adding he would “block this deal from happening” when in office.
“No, I think we’re going to be discussing that today,” Trump told the reporter, adding, “I hear we’ll have some pretty good information on that.”
Trump also foreshadowed a press conference next week on reciprocal trade when asked if he planned to sign an executive order on the topic.
“I’ll be announcing that next week, reciprocal trade, so that we’re treated evenly with other countries,” Trump said. “We don’t want any more or any less.”
“We’ll have a news conference, and we’ll lay it out; pretty simple,” he added.
Responding to whether he is seeking “specific concessions” from Japan, Trump did not get into specifics but emphasized the strong relationship the U.S. has with Japan.
“We have a fantastic relationship. I don’t think we’ll have any problem whatsoever; they want fairness also,” he said.
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