Sanae Takaichi’s government plans to purchase American soybeans, pickup trucks, and natural gas in preparation for talks with Trump next week.

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The first major diplomatic test for Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is imminent.

On Wednesday, citing two informed sources, in preparation for next week's meeting with U.S. President Trump, the Japanese government is finalizing a package procurement plan, including U.S. pickup trucks, soybeans, and natural gas, to show goodwill in trade and security negotiations.

According to CCTV News, on October 21, in the first round of the House of Representatives prime ministerial nomination election, LDP President Sanae Takaichi received 237 votes (out of 465 seats), winning a majority and thus set to become Japan’s 104th prime minister.

Trump will visit Japan next Monday, marking his first visit to Japan since being re-elected. Previously, Takaichi’s predecessor Shigeru Ishiba had agreed to invest up to $550 billion in the U.S. in exchange for lower auto tariffs. The new government will advance bilateral cooperation on this basis.

However, while Washington continues to pressure Japan and other allies to increase defense spending, Sanae Takaichi will not commit to any new defense spending targets at this meeting. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Wednesday: “What matters is not the amount or the ratio to GDP, but the substantive content of defense capability.”

Procurement Plan Focuses on Agricultural Products and Automobiles

According to informed sources, the planned procurement package includes the purchase of Ford F150 pickup trucks, an idea proposed by Trump himself. In addition, Japan will agree to buy more U.S. soybeans, a request proposed by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in a call with Japanese counterparts last week.

To make room for U.S. soybeans, Tokyo may reduce purchases from Brazil; currently, U.S. soybeans already account for 70% of Japan's consumption.

Energy and Investment Commitments in Parallel

Japan also plans to purchase more U.S. liquefied natural gas, but this does not yet include the Alaska pipeline project strongly promoted by Trump. Officials will also submit a list of candidate projects under the $550 billion investment agreement; both governments will review them, with the final selection to be made by Trump.

In the previous LDP presidential election, Sanae Takaichi was the only one among the five candidates to suggest the agreement was unfair, citing that the U.S. received the vast majority of returns. But after her election, she stated she would fulfill the agreement. A Japanese government source said: "Even if the profit split is one to nine, if the risk is low, it still makes business sense."

Defense Cooperation Emphasizes 'Substance' Over Numbers

As a hardline conservative leader, Sanae Takaichi has previously expressed her desire to deepen security ties with Washington.

At next week's meeting, she will indicate Japan's willingness to accelerate defense buildup based on reaching the target of defense spending at 2% of GDP by 2027. On Tuesday, Sanae Takaichi stated she would instruct defense officials to review three strategic documents formulated in 2022, which form the basis for the largest military expansion in Japan since World War II.

Trump will arrive in Japan next Monday and leave on Tuesday. The two leaders are expected to travel to Malaysia to attend an ASEAN summit before Sunday, then head to South Korea for the APEC summit.

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