"Takaichi to Visit U.S. Around March 20... Final Schedule After Next Month's General Election"

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is reportedly planning to visit the United States around March 20.

According to Kyodo News on the 18th, the governments of Japan and the United States are coordinating Prime Minister Takaichi's visit, and the final schedule will be determined after the early general election, which is likely to be held around February 8.

Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan, is conversing with Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, during the second session of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit held last November at the Gyeongju HICO Convention Center. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Prime Minister Takaichi's side proposed this timing because March 20 marks the first day of a three-day holiday in Japan, which would minimize the impact on the parliamentary schedule, and the U.S. side has reportedly responded positively.

Prime Minister Takaichi plans to hold a Japan-U.S. summit before U.S. President Donald Trump visits China in April next year, aiming to reaffirm the strength of the bilateral alliance regarding China policy.

However, depending on the outcome of the general election, the visit to the United States could be canceled. Kyodo News also reported that the parliamentary review of the 2026 fiscal year budget (covering April 2026 to March 2027) could be another factor that may affect the schedule.

Previously, at a lecture in December last year, Prime Minister Takaichi stated that arrangements were being made to visit the United States and meet with President Trump, and mentioned that the expected timing of the visit would be "relatively early next year."