US President Donald Trump reaffirmed America’s close alliance with Japan during talks in Tokyo on Tuesday, describing the two nations as “allies at the strongest level.” The meeting marked Trump’s first encounter with Japan’s newly appointed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the country’s first female leader.

During the talks at the Akasaka Palace, both leaders signed what Trump called a “golden age” agreement to strengthen economic and security cooperation. The document, running less than a page, reaffirmed a US tax rate of 15% on Japanese imports and established a $550 billion Japanese investment fund for projects in the United States.

A second agreement outlined a framework for securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earth elements, vital to both nations’ high-tech industries.

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