For Japan’s new leader, the key to connecting with Trump could be a Ford F-150 truck

By JOSH BOAK and MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO AP President Donald Trump arrives Monday in Japan where new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is banking on building a friendly personal relationship with the U S leader to ease agreement tensions Malaysia s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim right and Japan s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi walk during the th ASEAN Japan Summit in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Oct Chalinee Thirasupa Pool Photo via AP One key to this strategy might lie in an idea floated by Japan s regime to buy a fleet of Ford F- trucks a meaningful gesture that may also be impractical given the narrow streets in Tokyo and other Japanese cities It s an early diplomatic test for Takaichi the first woman to lead Japan She took office only last week and has a tenuous coalition backing her Trump instantly bought into the idea of Ford trucks as he flew to Asia aboard Air Force One She has good taste Trump explained reporters That s a hot truck FILE A Ford F- truck is displayed at the Dearborn Truck Plant April in Dearborn Mich AP Photo Carlos Osorio File The two spoke over the phone while Trump was mid-flight on Saturday Takaichi stressed her status as a protege of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a favorite of Trump s from his first term and noted she praised him for brokering the Gaza ceasefire that led to the return of hostages held by Hamas I thought Trump is a very cheerful and fun person she commented He well recognizes me and announced he remembers me as a politician whom former Prime Minister Abe really cared about she mentioned And I explained the president that I extremely look forward to welcoming him in Tokyo Resetting the exchange relationship Beneath the hospitality is the search for a strategy to approach the increasingly complex pact relationship that Trump shook up earlier this year with tariffs Trump wants allies to buy more American goods and also make financial commitments to build factories and force infrastructure in the U S The meetings in a Japan come ahead of Trump s sit-down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea Related Articles Biden honored at Kennedy Institute in Boston Harris Newsom jockey for Poll results Herald readers tell Congress to Get back to work Flights to Los Angeles International Airport halted due to air traffic controller shortage Massachusetts Sen Ed Markey calls for campaign donations amid shutdown Money isn t there Both the U S and Japan have sought to limit China s manufacturing ambitions as the emergence of Chinese electric vehicles artificial intelligence and advanced computer chips could undermine the American and Japanese economies In light of the planned meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping shortly afterward Trump may also be considering how he might strengthen his hand by demonstrating the robustness of the U S -Japan relationship declared Kristi Govella Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies a Washington think tank Japan s previous administration agreed in September to invest billion in the U S which led Trump to trim a threatened tariff on Japanese goods to But Japan wants the investments to favor Japanese vendors and contractors Japan s economic system and contract minister Ryosei Akazawa has noted his ministry is compiling a list of projects in computer chips and capacity to try to meet the commitment target As far as I know I m hearing that there are a number of Japanese companies that are showing interest he notified reporters Friday though he did not give further details Ford trucks in Tokyo would be a powerful symbol Japanese leaders are looking at the possibility of buying more American soybeans liquefied natural gas and autos For Trump the prospect of Ford trucks in the skyscrapered streets of Tokyo would be a win The administration has long complained that American vehicles were being shut out of a region that is the home of Toyota Honda Nissan Isuzu Mitsubishi and Subaru In a September interview on CNBC Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick declared Japan wouldn t buy U S -branded vehicles because Chevys were popular with Japanese gangsters Takaichi may arrange for Ford F- trucks to be showcased in a place Trump gets to see them Japan s Nikkei newspaper revealed The regime is considering importing the trucks for its conveyance ministry to use for inspecting roads and infrastructure though there are concerns that the F- could cause congestion on narrow Japanese streets A Ford spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Japanese media have shared that Toyota Motor Corp Chairman Akio Toyoda could announce plans to import his company s American-made cars back to Japan during a dinner with Trump and other business leaders on Wednesday The gestures combined with Takaichi s connection to Abe should help her deal with Trump who seems predisposed to like her I think she s going to be great Trump reported aboard Air Force One She s a great friend of Mr Abe who was a great man In Abe gave Trump a high-end golf club to celebrate his first electoral process and the leaders bonded over their love of golf Trump often expresses sadness about Abe s assassination But there are risks for Takaichi in emphasizing her ties to Abe explained Rintaro Nishimura who specializes in Japan at advisory firm The Asia Group Because it s Takaichi s first diplomatic engagement I think she wants to start with sort of a bang Nishimura declared Succeeding the Abe-line rhetoric is definitely going to be part of this engagement although several also suggest that leaning too heavily on the Abe line might not exactly be good for her for creating her own kind of portfolio her status as Japan s leader Trump lands in Tokyo on Monday meeting first with Japanese Emperor Naruhito After meeting with Takaichi on Tuesday he will give a speech aboard the U S S George Washington aircraft carrier anchored in Japan and then hold a dinner with business leaders Trump plans to leave for South Korea on Wednesday