Tokyo [Japan], February 9 : Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Sunday expressed appreciation for US President Donald Trump's message, underscoring her commitment to further strengthening the Japan-US Alliance and confirming her upcoming visit to White House.
"I am sincerely grateful to President Donald J. Trump for his warm words," Takaichi said in a post on X, adding that she looked forward to continuing close cooperation between the two countries.
https://x.com/takaichi_sanae/status/2020521950687420868
The Japanese leader said the alliance and friendship between Japan and the United States are rooted in "deep trust and close, strong cooperation," and highlighted the scope for expanding bilateral ties across security, economic and strategic domains.
"The potential of our Alliance is limitless," Takaichi said, stressing the importance of sustained collaboration.
She added that Japan and the United States should work together to ensure the alliance continues to contribute to "peace and prosperity" for both nations and beyond.
Takaichi's remarks came in response to a post by Trump on his Truth Social platform, in which the US President endorsed the Japanese Prime Minister on Sunday as Japan went to the polls for a crucial legislative election.
In a Truth Social post, Trump described the February 8 vote as "a very important Legislative Election" for Japan's future and praised Takaichi as a proven leader. "The Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has already proven to be a strong, powerful, and wise Leader, and one that truly loves her Country, " Trump said.
Trump said he was looking forward to welcoming Takaichi to the White House on March 19, recalling his recent visit to Japan, during which he and his delegation were "extremely impressed" with her leadership.
Highlighting bilateral cooperation, Trump pointed to close coordination between Washington and Tokyo on national security and trade. He said the United States and Japan have worked together on "a very substantial Trade Deal, one that strongly benefits both Countries."
In a direct endorsement of a foreign leader during an election, Trump declared, "As President of the United States of America, it is my Honor to give a Complete and Total Endorsement of her, and what her highly respected Coalition is representing."
He concluded the message with a strong vote of confidence in the Japanese leader, writing in capital letters, "SHE WILL NOT LET THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN DOWN!" and wished voters luck ahead of what he called their "very important Sunday Vote."
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives in Sunday's general election, handing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi a decisive mandate to advance her conservative policy agenda, Kyodo News reported.
Crossing the two-thirds threshold of 310 seats in the 465-member lower house allows the LDP to pursue constitutional revision and pass legislation even if it is rejected by the upper House of Councillors, where the ruling coalition remains in a minority. The LDP is the first party in postwar Japan to achieve such a margin, according to Kyodo News.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's upcoming visit to Washington, her first since taking office, will precede US President Donald Trump's planned April trip to China, as Beijing has taken an increasingly hard-line stance over her comments on a potential crisis in the Taiwan Strait, Kyodo News reported.
Trump has repeatedly praised Japan's commitment to making large-scale investments in the United States, a key element of a trade deal reached last summer following his tariff threats against Tokyo, Kyodo News said.
Since her early days in office, Trump has publicly lauded Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, describing her as a protegee of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he forged a close personal relationship during his first term.
On Sunday, the US State Department said the administration looks forward to advancing " U.S. security and economic priorities, as well as our shared interests, in the Indo-Pacific and globally" with Japan, Kyodo News reported.
A State Department spokesperson described the US-Japan alliance as "the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity" in the region, adding that it "has never been stronger," according to Kyodo News.