According to Japan’s Nikkei media outlet, U.S. president Donald Trump and Japan’s prime minister Shigeru Ishiba had talks on the phone, in May, about a “Golden Dome” missile defense system. The news comes ahead of chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa heading to Washington Thursday, with some saying participation in the “Golden Dome” defense system could be a “bargaining chip.” Neither Ishiba nor Trump is shy about their rabid support for military spending, and new reports from Japan indicate the two politicians had talks in May to work together on a “Golden Dome” missile defense system to protect the mainland United States. Trump is looking for Japan’s help. The system would reportedly mimic Israel’s “Iron Dome” missile defense, and cost an estimated $831 billion. Collaboration may be ‘bargaining chip’ for tariffs Other reports citing Nikkei note that Japan’s participation in the space-based ballistic missile detection shield could be a bargaining chip when it comes to weathering Trump-era tariffs. For his part, self-labeled “defense geek” Shigeru Ishiba has already pledged to invest $1 trillion in the United States, even as Japan’s population struggles to buy rice. Ryosei Akazawa, Tokyo’s chief negotiator when it comes to tariffs, will head to Washington D.C. tomorrow for ministerial-level discussions on the issue ahead of the G7 summit later this month. The close aid to Ishiba and Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy will return to Japan Sunday after the talks. 
Source: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan. Of course, looking at the actions of these individuals, there is a glaring question: If the idea is to make economies stronger, and bring about more peace in the world via defense, why stifle free trade with insanely high tariffs, like Trump’s recently jacked-up-to-50% gouges on aluminum and steel imports, which will also raise prices and crush American consumers? Why seek to mimic the “Iron Dome” of a government perpetrating an aggressive genocide, where the terror group blamed for starting the conflict was actually “spawned” by the Israeli state itself? It is further interesting to critical observers that Ishiba is pouring funds into building an “active cyber defense system” in Japan, while the nation struggles with food shortages, inflation, and destructive inbound tourism. Perhaps there is more to the story than the mainstream media tells us. For his part, Trump wants to complete the Golden Dome defense system — headed by U.S. Space Force General Michael Guetlein — by the end of his term in 2029.
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