TOKYO — President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to tighten security cooperation and increase defense funding as they visited the aircraft carrier USS George Washington at a U.S. naval base south of Tokyo, an event designed to underscore ties between the countries.

“The cherished alliance between the United States and Japan is one of the most remarkable relationships in the entire world, really,” Trump said at the event at the Yokosuka Naval Base, the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet.

The U.S. president said he had just approved the first “batch of missiles” for Japan’s F-35 fighters.

Takaichi said her nation was “committed to fundamentally reinforce its defense capabilities, and Japan is ready to contribute even more proactively to peace and stability of the region.”

“We are facing an unprecedented severe security environment,” she said. “Peace cannot be preserved by words alone.”

Trump’s trade war, which has targeted allies such as Japan as well as rivals, has created some nervousness in Tokyo about its relationship with Washington. Japan still leans heavily on the United States for its security under a treaty signed after the two sides fought each other during World War II.

The treaty gives the U.S. use of military bases in Japan — key assets in Washington’s ability to project power throughout the Asia-Pacific region. However, Trump has said the agreement is unfair because it obliges the U.S. to defend Japan without a reciprocal commitment from Japan to help protect the U.S.

On Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. and Japan were looking to boost their joint shipbuilding capacity as his Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese officials.

“Part of our deal with the trade is we’re starting to make ships,” Trump said. “We used to be No. 1 at making ships, and then we lost our way, but now we’re starting to make ships again.”

‘Long, good relationship’

The largest permanent U.S. overseas military presence is in Japan, where roughly 53,000 active duty service members are stationed at bases around the country.

Trump has also called for Japan to pay more to support the upkeep of the U.S. bases. Japan makes a commitment every five years to help cover those costs. Under the current deal, which runs through March 2027, Japan pledged to pay the U.S. an average of 211 billion yen ($1.4 billion) each year. Talks over a new deal are expected to begin next year.

Another point of tension is Trump’s desire for American allies to spend more on defense to reduce the burden on the U.S. military.

In 2022, Tokyo pledged 43 trillion yen to a military buildup that would span five years and raise defense spending to around 2% of gross domestic product, a shift from its long-held stance of keeping it around 1%. Last week, Takaichi pledged to accelerate that plan and reach 2% by the end of the current fiscal year through March.

Japan is also a high-spending buyer of U.S. military equipment, including deals for more than 100 F-35 jet fighters costing around $10 billion and about 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles valued at roughly $1.6 billion.

But aboard the USS George Washington — the lone American aircraft carrier with a home port outside of the U.S. — the president struck a friendly tone.

“We will have a long, good relationship,” Trump said. “And, you know, you have to have fun.”

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(With assistance from Yoshiaki Nohara.)

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