New ‘golden age’? Japan’s Takaichi gifts 250 cherry trees, fireworks to Washington as Trump hails deepening ties

In a bid to usher in what she called a “golden age” of U.S.–Japan relations, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced that Japan will send 250 flowering cherry trees and fireworks to Washington, D.C., as part of a gift marking the United States’ 250th anniversary, according to the New York Post.

The gesture was unveiled after Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump watched a Toronto Blue Jays–Los Angeles Dodgers World Series game together in Tokyo. “It was a wonderful start,” Takaichi told reporters, calling the donation both a cultural symbol and a sign of strengthening friendship. She noted that Japan has a long tradition of gifting cherry trees to the U.S. capital, dating back to thousands sent in 1912.

Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, added that “fireworks from Japan’s Akita Prefecture” will feature in next year’s Fourth of July celebrations in Washington.

Trump praises Japan’s ‘wonderful gesture’
Trump and Takaichi also signed a brief joint statement reaffirming the trade pact reached in July, which reduced a proposed 25 per cent tariff to 15 per cent and included Japanese investment pledges worth $550 billion in the United States, the New York Post reported.

“We’re going to do tremendous trade together, I think, more than ever before,” Trump said, describing the partnership as “very fair.” He also pointed to new Japanese orders for U.S. military equipment and stressed cooperation on rare-earth and other critical minerals amid global supply concerns.