US president Donald Trump heaped praise on Japan's first female leader Sanae Takaichi and said the Asian nation will become a U.S. “ally at the strongest level” as he signed deals on rare earths and trade.

President Donald Trump met with Japan's first female prime minister Tuesday in Tokyo before signing deals on trade and critical minerals to mark "a new golden age."

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 earlier met with Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and addressed American military personnel on a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan.

Long-pacifist Japan is adopting a more muscular military stance as relations with China worsen, with Takaichi pledging to spend 2% of GDP on defense.

Takaichi, seen as a conservative in the mould of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, reiterated Japan’s commitment to raising defence spending and bolstering economic resilience.

TRUMP IN JAPAN: President Donald Trump is in Japan, the second stop of his three-country tour of Asia. He met with newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi this morning, and will soon address U.S. troops on board the USS George Washington.

President Donald Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aboard the USS George Washington, announcing missile deliveries to Japan's Self-Defense Forces.