Shortly after the visit, Trump spoke by phone with Takaichi, during which she said the two leaders reaffirmed the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance.

In a high-stakes exchange, Xi urged Trump to avoid backing Japan’s Sanae Takaichi and Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te, signaling regional tensions that Trump countered by defending Takaichi against Xi’s criticisms.

Trump publicly defended Takaichi following Xi Jinping’s criticism at a Beijing summit, a stance echoed in Tokyo’s media citing government sources.

Yomiuri Shimbun reports indicate three more U.S.-China summits expected within the year as Japan seeks to shape its China diplomacy through closer U.S. cooperation.

Takaichi had previously traveled to Washington in March to reinforce U.S. security commitments in the Indo-Pacific amid China’s rising influence.

There were no immediate comments from the Japanese prime minister’s office, foreign ministry, or the U.S. embassy in Tokyo outside regular business hours.

The report notes the story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed, with no official comments during regular hours from Japanese or U.S. offices.

Despite Xi’s criticisms, skepticism remains about near-term improvement in China-Japan relations, with ministerial exchanges at APEC and a China-Japan summit viewed as unlikely soon.

Takaichi’s November remarks proposing Japan could deploy defense forces in a Taiwan-related conflict have strained Japan-China relations and underscore ongoing regional tensions involving the U.S., China, and Japan.

Beyond this episode, Trump and Xi are anticipated to meet multiple times this year, including a planned Xi visit to Washington and discussions around the APEC summit.

Takaichi spoke to reporters after a call with Trump but did not reveal details of their discussion.