ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump urged Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday to dial back her remarks on Taiwan following a phone call from Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing officials briefed on the matter.

The unusual sequence of conversations has raised concerns in Tokyo about Washington’s willingness to prioritize trade stability with Beijing over regional security tensions.

Xi, angered by Takaichi’s recent warning that Japan could join a military response if China attacked Taiwan, spent nearly half of an hour-long call pressing Trump on Beijing’s claim to the self-governing island.

Chinese officials framed Taiwan’s “return to China” as a key pillar of the post–World War II order and underlined the shared responsibility of Washington and Beijing to maintain global stability.

Later the same day, Trump spoke with Takaichi and advised her to avoid escalating tensions with Beijing over Taiwan’s sovereignty.

While he did not ask her to retract her comments, his request to “lower the volume” troubled Japanese officials, who viewed it as a signal that Taiwan-related friction could endanger a recently reached US-China trade detente.

That agreement includes a Chinese commitment to buy more American farm products—a politically sensitive issue for Trump, who has repeatedly promoted agricultural purchases as a victory for US farmers.

In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, Trump praised relations with China and highlighted the benefits for US agriculture.

“The United States’ relationship with China is very good, and that’s also very good for Japan, who is our dear and close ally,” he said.

“Anything good for our farmers is good for me," he added.

Japan has not yet officially commented on the call.

Takaichi’s earlier remarks, made to lawmakers on Nov. 7, sparked an immediate backlash from Beijing, including retaliatory economic measures and inflammatory comments from a Chinese diplomat, who suggested on social media that her “neck should be cut off.”

The escalation came at a delicate moment, with Trump seeking to maintain fragile trade progress with Xi ahead of several planned meetings next year.

In Japan’s parliament Wednesday, Takaichi appeared to soften her tone, saying she had not intended to outline specifics regarding a Taiwan contingency.

Analysts say the order of Trump’s calls -- first with Xi, then with Takaichi -- may signal a willingness to restrain a US ally on a core security issue to preserve economic gains with Beijing.

“The order of the calls is interesting and likely raised some eyebrows in Tokyo,” said Matthew Goodman of the Council on Foreign Relations.

While both Washington and Tokyo maintain that Taiwan’s fate should not be determined by force, US-China trade tensions and the strategic importance of the Taiwan Strait have become increasingly intertwined.

A person close to the White House said trade dominated Trump’s conversation with Xi, including concerns over China’s delays in purchasing millions of tons of US soybeans previously promised.

Trump later told reporters that Xi had agreed to accelerate purchases.

Yet for Xi, Taiwan remained the overriding issue. Although he did not explicitly ask Trump to pressure Japan, his references to the postwar order were widely interpreted as a pointed reminder of Japan’s wartime legacy and Beijing’s sensitivity to Tokyo’s recent statements.

US policy continues to oppose any unilateral changes to the Taiwan Strait status quo, with the State Department calling China “the single greatest threat to peace and stability” in the region.