TOKYO – Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has gifted U.S. President Donald Trump with a personalized golf ball and tee set decorated in gold leaf, as well as a golf club once used by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan’s top government spokesman said Tuesday.
Trump was also gifted with the caddie bag used by professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama when he played with Trump and Abe in Japan in 2017, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference.
During their first summit earlier in the day, Takaichi also confirmed with Trump that Japan will donate 250 cherry trees to Washington next year to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Takaichi, who took office last week, added that fireworks made in Akita Prefecture in northeastern Japan are scheduled to be launched in the U.S. capital on the July 4 anniversary, expressing her wish to “celebrate the occasion together in grand fashion.”
In a symbolic gesture to build rapport, the two leaders also had their own signatures on baseball caps bearing the English phrase, “Japan is Back.”
When former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida paid a state visit to the United States in 2024 during the presidency of Joe Biden, he announced Japan’s plan to present the cherry trees to Washington, continuing a tradition of friendship between the two countries.
Washington’s Tidal Basin features around 3,000 trees planted in 1912 from saplings donated by the city of Tokyo. Since then, the U.S. capital has become famous for its iconic springtime blossoms, enjoyed by more than a million visitors each year.
Takaichi and Trump held summit talks at Tokyo’s State Guest House.
