United States President Donald Trump has met Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, in Tokyo, welcoming her pledge to accelerate a military buildup and signing deals on trade and critical minerals.

Trump on Tuesday lavished praise on Takaichi, saying she would be a “great” leader, while the prime minister said she planned to nominate the US president for a Nobel Peace Prize, according to the White House.

Takaichi – a close ally of Trump’s friend and golfing partner, late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – is also expected to offer a package of US investments under a $550bn deal agreed on this year, the Reuters news agency reported.

This included shipbuilding and increased purchases of US soya beans, natural gas and pick-up trucks, the agency reported, citing sources fami

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