May 27, 2019
Trump earlier said that the US suffered from a ‘tremendous’ trade deficit with Japan.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived in Tokyo on Saturday as the first state guest in the Reiwa era, urged Japanese business leaders to increase their investment in the United States.
At a meeting held at the U.S. ambassador’s official residence in the Akasaka district of Tokyo, about 30 Japanese business leaders said to have attended and the president embraced the person whom he calls Masa — Masayoshi Son, chairman and chief executive officer of SoftBank Group Corp. — with a smile.
In the beginning of his speech, Trump applauded the attendees, calling them “the greatest business leaders in the world.” He also said: “The United States and Japan are two of the largest economies in the world. There, you’re doing fantastically well.”
Many of the attendees were business leaders of companies that actively invest in the United States, such as automakers, major trading firms and financial companies.
In his speech, Trump referred to several companies by name, including Toyota Motor Corp. and auto parts maker Denso Corp., to emphasize intimacy with the companies. He also walked around the meeting room to shake hands with each business leader.
“Mr. Trump probably wanted to send a message that he places an importance on business by attending the meeting immediately after arriving at the airport,” said an attendee after the meeting.
“He is a true business person. He must have been tired, but he was smiling and friendly. Fantastic,” said another.