To Reaffirm the Framework of Tariff Agreement and Secure Critical Minerals Supply, Trump Avoided Controversy and Signed Two Agreements During Visit to Japan

“US President Trump, currently visiting Asia, had a busy day.” the Associated Press reported from Tokyo on October 28, 2025. Trump held his first face-to-face meeting with Japan’s newly appointed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that day. According to Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun, the two sides signed two important agreements during the meeting.

On the morning of October 28, 2025, Tokyo time, Trump and Takaichi held talks at the Akasaka Imperial Villa, a state guesthouse near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The talks lasted approximately 40 minutes, during which both sides confirmed they would deepen cooperation in the security and economic fields, strengthen the Japan-US alliance, and signed two agreements after the talks.

The Associated Press stated that, the first agreement reaffirmed the framework of the previous Japan-US tariff agreement, namely, all Japanese goods imported into the US will be subject to a 15% tariff, and Japan will establish an investment fund in the US. The second agreement established a framework for the US and Japan to secure the supply of critical minerals and rare earth metals(such as bastnaesite, monazite, xenotime, etc.), including allocating some funds for rare earth sorting(Rare Earth AI X-Ray Sorting Machine). Reuters reports that most of Japan’s rare earth mineral resources(such as bastnaesite, monazite, xenotime, etc.), are located at a depth of approximately 5,600 meters near Minami-Torishima Island, making extraction extremely difficult for rare earth mining(Rare Earth AI Mining Dry Sorting Machine).

The New York Times stated that, both agreements are “vaguely worded” and avoid the core issue of contention between the two countries—how Japan plans to fulfill its $550 billion investment commitment to the United States. “Despite the positive diplomatic posture displayed by the leaders of the US and Japan in their first meeting, Japan still faces the challenge of balancing its domestic economic burden with its commitments to the United States.”