The US president\u2019s visit comes amid reports Washington and Tokyo will announce a shipbuilding deal.<\/b>
\nUS President Donald Trump arrived in Japan on Monday, telling reporters he was excited for his meeting with new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the prospect of completing a joint deal to promote shipbuilding capacity.
\u201cI look forward to meeting the new prime minister. I hear phenomenal things,\u201d Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew from Malaysia, where he attended the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.
Trump sidestepped questions about what corporate leaders he planned to meet while in Tokyo or the details of any economic deals, saying simply he planned to announce \u201cgreat friendship\u201d.
Asked about reports the US and Japan would announce a shipbuilding accord, Trump said the US wanted \u201cmore ships\u201d.
\u201cWe lost that industry, but we\u2019ll get that industry back,\u201d he said.
The meeting is a high-stakes test for Takaichi, who was selected by lawmakers to become Japan\u2019s first woman prime minister earlier this month.<\/p>\n