President Trump arrived Monday in Japan, where new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is banking on building a friendly personal relationship with the U.S. leader to ease trade tensions. 

Mr. Trump’s Asian tour, which kicked off over the weekend, has a heavy focus on business ties, and speaking to journalists as he flew into the Japanese capital, he predicted that a U.S.-China trade agreement would be done before he returned to Washington.

But first, the meeting with Takaichi will be an early diplomatic test for Japan’s first woman leader. She took office only last week, and has a tenuous coalition backing her.

During the flight to Tokyo, he came back to the press cabin on Air Force One, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. He said he’d talk about the “great friendship” between the U.S. and Japan during his visit.

“I hear phenomenal things” about Takaichi, Mr. Trump said, noting her closeness with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom Mr. Trump had a good relationship during his first term.

“It’s going to be very good,” he said. “That really helps Japan and the United States.”

Mr. Trump’s only scheduled event on Monday following his arrival was a meeting at the Imperial Palace with Emperor Naruhito, Japan’s ceremonial head of state. The emperor smiled and waved as Mr. Trump’s limousine pulled up to the palace. 

They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries before smiling for a photo together, then walked inside the palace. 

The American leader spent Sunday in Malaysia, participating in a regional summit of Southeast Asian nations where he struck preliminary trade agreements with Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Trump says he expects trade deal with China done this week

Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he expected to reach a trade agreement with China in the coming days.

Officials from the world’s two largest economies said Sunday that they’d reached an initial consensus for Mr. Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to try to finalize during a high-stakes meeting later in the week.

“I have a lot of respect for President Xi,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “I think we’re going to come away with a deal,” Mr. Trump said.

Bessent also said Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that a TikTok deal announced last month was set to be finalized Thursday during the Trump-Xi meeting.

After his visit to Japan, Mr. Trump is set to end his Asian tour in South Korea, where he’s expected to meet with Xi on the sidelines of a Pacific Rim summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC).

Trump renews openness to meeting North Korea’s Kim Jong Un

Mr. Trump also said he would be willing to extend his trip to Asia if there was a chance to talk with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Kim. Since South Korea is the president’s last stop before returning to the U.S., “it’s pretty easy to do,” he told reporters on Air Force One.

Mr. Trump’s overtures to reconnect with Kim have gone unanswered.

“If he wants to meet, I’ll be in South Korea,” Mr. Trump said.

Trump downplays notion of becoming U.S. vice president

On other matters, Mr. Trump rejected the possibility of running for vice president as a way to get back to the presidency, saying, “I’d be allowed to do it” but wouldn’t because “it’s too cute.”

Steve Bannon, a Trump ally, has repeatedly said the president could serve a third term despite a constitutional prohibition. Mr. Trump himself has flirted with the idea.

On Air Force One, Mr. Trump said, “I haven’t really thought about it.”

He praised Rubio and Vance as potential future Republican candidates. “I’m not sure if anybody would run against those two. I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable,” he said.

South China Sea, Taiwan, and tariffs

There’s no shortage of security issues in the region, including access to the South China Sea and the future of Taiwan. But Mr. Trump’s focus has undoubtedly been trade and his desire to realign the international economy in his vision of “America first.”

For the most part, that means tariffs, or at least the threat of them. Mr. Trump has frequently used taxes on imports — from allies and adversaries alike — in an effort to boost domestic manufacturing or seek more favorable terms.

However, his unilateral power to enact tariffs remains contested. The president is awaiting a Supreme Court decision in a case that could solidify his authority or limit it.

The president flew to Tokyo from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he attended the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He participated in a ceremonial signing of an expanded ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, which fought earlier this year. Trump helped pressure both countries to stop by threatening to withhold trade agreements.