Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi meets with President Donald Trump as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio look on during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on March 19, 2026. Alex Wong/Getty Images
For decades, many Japanese companies followed seikei bunri—the separation of politics and economics. This allowed them to depend on the U.S.-Japan security alliance for defense while building deep economic ties with China, including extensive supply chains, factories, and market growth on the mainland.
