Section 2 North America

Overview

(United States)

The Japan-U.S. Alliance is the cornerstone of Japan's diplomacy and security. It also plays a substantial role in regional and international peace and prosperity. Amid the increasing severity of the regional security environment including North Korea, the Japan-U.S. Alliance is becoming more and more important.

In January, Mr. Donald Trump was inaugurated as president. Under his “America First” stance, President Trump is implementing his policies, such as strengthening the economy through tax reform, etc., increasing the defense budget and reforming the immigration system.

The relationship between Japan and the U.S. is stronger than ever, against the backdrop of the close trusting relationship between Prime Minister Abe and President Trump. The two leaders have been working to closely align their policies and are closely coordinating on the North Korea issue and other issues, having conducted five summit meetings and 19 telephone conferences (as of February 2018). Their close coordination and rigorous discussion on issues such as North Korea has continued in 2018 with frequent high level visits, including Vice President Pence's visit to Japan in February, Foreign Minister Kono's visit to the U.S. in March, and Prime Minister Abe's visit to the U.S. in April. On the economic front, progress has been made with cooperation under the Japan-U.S. Economic Dialogue framework launched under an agreement between the leaders in February.

Prime Minister Abe and President Trump shaking hands (November 6, Tokyo; Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)

(Canada)

Japan and Canada are both G7 members, and cooperate closely in a wide range of fields as important partners in the Asia Pacific Region. In 2017, progress was made with cooperation between Japan and Canada in a wide range of fields, including the field of security with, for example, a substantial agreement on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), as well as in the economy.