Trump had threatened a 25% tariff initially, but Japan then struck a deal in July to invest $550bn (£407bn) in the US. In exchange, Washington lowered import levies to 15%.
Takaichi, 64, became PM in October after she won the leadership race in her party and secured enough support in parliament. But she called for an last month election to seek a public mandate.
Just one week after she took office, Tokyo rolled out the red carpet for Trump, deploying a full military guard of honour and band to welcome him at the Akasaka Palace, the government’s state guesthouse.
It was her diplomatic debut, and the optics were striking: Takaichi aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, fists pumping as the US president praised her in front of thousands of US soldiers, the images then broadcast around the world.
She sought to portray herself as a leader Trump can and wants to do business with and, perhaps more importantly for the president, someone he gets along with personally.
The two leaders also see eye-to-eye on defence. Trump wants Tokyo to spend more on its own security and so does Takaichi, as sentiment grows in Japan that it must invest more in defence.
They heaped compliments on each other during the visit and signed a deal on rare earths, as well as a document heralding a new “golden age” of US-Japan relations. Takaichi described Trump as a “partner in a new golden era”, and praised his role in bringing peace to the Middle East.
“In my visit to Japan, I and all of my representatives, were extremely impressed with her,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post on Thursday, noting that the two countries have made progress in national security cooperation and on the economic front.
Trump also said he will welcome Takaichi to the White House on 19 March.