Trump Reaffirms ‘Ironclad’ US–Japan Alliance in Call With Takaichi After Beijing Summit

For Japan, Taiwan is closely tied to its own security debate and to the U.S. military posture in the western Pacific.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (R) and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a signing ceremony after a Japan-U.S. Summit at the Akasaka State Guest House in Tokyo on Oct. 28, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump reaffirmed the U.S.–Japan alliance in a telephone call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on May 15, hours after concluding two days of meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Trump joined the call from aboard Air Force One. The conversation began at 7:30 p.m. Tokyo time, lasting about 15 minutes, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.