"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 January 18, the governments of Japan and the United States are coordinating Prime Minister Takaichi's visit, with the final arrangements expected to be made 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 has 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. The U.S. side is said to have responded positively to this proposal.

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

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 (April 2026-March 2027) could be another factor affecting the schedule.

Previously, in a lecture last December, Prime Minister Takaichi stated that arrangements were underway for a meeting with President Trump during her visit to the United States, and indicated that the expected timing of the visit would be "relatively early next year."