Overview
- Diplomatic sources reported that Chinese leader Xi Jinping sharply criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s push to expand Japan’s defense role during his May summit with President Trump.
- President Trump is said to have phoned Takaichi from U.S. Air Force One on May 15 to praise her and to reaffirm the U.S.-Japan alliance, according to the same diplomatic accounts.
- Takaichi told reporters she received a detailed explanation of the Trump‑Xi meeting but declined to provide specifics about the call or Xi’s remarks.
- Takaichi’s November parliamentary comment that Japan could deploy its Self‑Defense Forces in a Taiwan contingency has been a focal point of regional concern and is cited as the backdrop for Xi’s criticism.
- Reporting differs on how unexpected Xi’s focus on Japan was for U.S. officials, and analysts say the episode could shape diplomacy in the Indo‑Pacific as Trump and Xi prepare additional meetings later this year.