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Japan and the US are crucial defence allies and each other's top foreign investors

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday left for the United States ahead of what will be President Donald Trump's second top with a foreign leader since his go back to the White House.

Japan is among the closest allies of the United States in Asia with around 54,000 US military workers stationed in the nation.

Ishiba will be promoting reassurance on the value of the US-Japan alliance, as Trump's "America First" agenda risks trespassing on the nations' trade and defence ties.

"It would be terrific if we could affirm that we will interact for the advancement this area and the world and for peace," Ishiba informed press reporters in Tokyo before leaving for the trip.

Japan's Nikkei paper said Thursday the pair will provide a joint declaration, which could vow to construct a "golden age" of bilateral relations and bring the alliance to "new heights".

Ishiba is expected to inform Trump that Japan will increase defence purchases from the United States, the Nikkei said.

Ishiba might likewise propose importing more US natural gas-- chiming with Trump's plan to "drill, child, drill" while boosting energy security for resource-poor Japan.

Since Japan has cut its liquefied gas (LNG) imports from Russia, it "frantically requires to open up new sources of LNG, and other energy more broadly", Sheila Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, townshipmarket.co.za told AFP.

"The objective is to provide a win-win value proposal from Ishiba to the president," she said.

Trump will fulfill Ishiba in Washington on Friday-- simply days after a joint interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the US president stimulated outcry with a proposal to take over the Gaza Strip.

The Japan top could be less startling, Smith said, as Trump "has a fairly strong commitment to the alliances in Asia".

- Taiwan danger -

Ishiba has worried the importance of US defence ties, pointing to hazards on Japan's doorstep such as China pressing its claims of sovereignty on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Tokyo needs to "continue to secure the US commitment to the region, to avoid a power vacuum resulting in regional instability", Ishiba just recently told parliament.

Trump and Ishiba are to verify the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese media said.

That would echo joint declarations made by the last US president Joe Biden with previous Japanese prime ministers.

Focusing on this point is "extremely important" because Japan and the United States should work together to prevent a possible crisis, said Takashi Shiraishi, an international relations specialist at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto.

As Japan and the United States renegotiate how to share the problem of defence costs, however, there are concerns Trump could provide less money and push Japan to do more, Smith said.

"That's where ... the Ishiba-Trump relationship might get a bit sticky," she said.

- After Abe -

Also triggering jitters is Trump's desire to slap trade tariffs on significant trading partners China, Canada, and Mexico-- though he has postponed procedures against the latter 2 countries pending talks.

"I hope Ishiba will reveal him there are other methods to attain economic security," such as working together on innovation, Shiraishi informed AFP.

One example is the Stargate drive, announced after Trump's January inauguration, to invest up to $500 billion in AI facilities in the United States, led by Japanese tech financial investment behemoth SoftBank Group and US firm OpenAI.

Reports said the leaders might also discuss Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion quote to buy US Steel, which Biden blocked on national security grounds.

Japan and the United States are each other's top foreign financiers, and the Nikkei reported that the leaders will settle on producing an investment-friendly environment.

During his very first term, Trump and Japan's then-prime minister Shinzo Abe enjoyed warm relations.

As president-elect in December, Trump also hosted Akie Abe, the widow of Japan's assassinated ex-premier, for a supper with Melania Trump at their Florida house.

Trump built a strong relationship with Abe, for whom Smith believes he had a "real fondness".

He will likely "see Ishiba through a different lens", said Smith, and "it will be more the state-to-state relationship, not the individual".

Ishiba, 68, will not be the very first Japanese VIP to satisfy the 78-year-old Trump personally since he took office-- a distinction held by SoftBank creator Masayoshi Son.