– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Now, President Trump's been meeting

Japan's Prime Minister Sai Takahichi for

talks on trade and security. The pair

have already signed a framework deal on

the supply of critical minerals and rare

earth minerals. And in his opening

remarks, President Trump had high praise

for Japan's new leader. He said ties

with Tokyo stronger than ever as he

touted a potential arms deal between the

two. President Trump then delivered a

speech to American sailors on the USS

George Washington, an aircraft carrier

currently docked in Japan. He was

accompanied by Prime Minister Takichi.

>> This woman is a winner. So, you know, we

become very close friends all of a

sudden because their stock market today

and our stock market today hit an

all-time high. That means we're doing

something right. But the cherished

alliance between the United States and

Japan is one of the most remarkable

relationships in the entire world.

Really, there's never been anything like

it. Born out of the ashes of a terrible

war. Our bond has grown over eight

decades into the beautiful friendship

that we have. It's a foundation of peace

and security in the Pacific. You see it?

>> Well, let's speak to our correspondent

in Tokyo, Shimmer Khalil. So, Shya, a

good first meeting uh between the new

prime minister Takahichi and President

Trump. uh what's your assessment of the

overall relationship between the two and

how this meeting has taken it into

whatever direction.

Do you know Rajini? I think Sai

Takayichi went into this meeting as a

big test, her big diplomatic debut after

she made history as Japan's first female

prime minister last week and there was a

lot to worry about because this is a big

guest to host in your first week in

power. But I think that so far and we're

coming towards the end of the day, it

has really gone very well for the prime

minister. H was full of praise for her.

He called her a winner. I think they've

served some iconic pictures there in

their first meeting um earlier in the

day, but also on board the USS JW George

Washington amid um the US Navy. It's a

message of strength. It's a message of

solidified friendship and alliance and a

message that those two partners um on

the uh on the trade front and crucially

on the defense and the military front

are stronger than ever. And remember

these two share a common friend which is

the late prime minister Shinszo Abby.

And you know even though he's no longer

with us he was killed more than 3 years

ago. It felt to me like he was very much

present in spirit today Rajini and this

is not just an icebreaking exercise. I

think the fact that these two leaders

shared a a close relationship with

Shinszo Abby meant that there was a lot

of ground that was already covered uh on

the first meeting. They had a lot in

common. I think when it comes to Donald

Trump pushing for more military spending

from Japan, he's pushing an open door.

But I think despite the pleasantries and

a very positive day so far for the Prime

Minister Sonai Takayichi, there's going

to be some tough decisions for her to

make when Donald Trump pushes on trade,

especially more access for the United

States in Japanese markets, in the car

market, in the agriculture market. This

is going to be tricky for her. So she

has to strike that balance between

managing her country's alliance with the

United States and managing her country's

domestic interests.

>> Okay, Sha Halil in Tokyo. Thank you very

much for the moment. Well, let's stay

with that story by speaking to Asuka

Kuabara, a polit politics and economics

analyst who is also in Tokyo. Welcome to

BBC News. Well, President Trump has

hailed what he's described a golden age

um between the US and Japan. How would

you define that golden age right now?

Then

>> mentioned the the beginning of the

discussions between Trump and Takichi

has been anything but successful. Uh

they were praising each other commenting

um all the positive things including the

ties with Mr. Abeshindo who was close

friend close friends of Donald Trump as

well as um predecessor successor of um

Miss Takahuchi. So I believe that the

this um created the fundamental of the

strong relationship between the US and

Japan and I um we will see how that goes

um along the line especially when it

comes to the the trade deals. Yeah,

let's talk about the trade deal in a

second, but let's talk about this rare

earths uh deal that they signed. Um, how

significant is this in your estimation?

>> I believe that both Tak Takichi and

Trump has u have shared view on China.

They both want to show a strong stance

against China and agreeing on the rare

earth deal with um you know between

Japan and US definitely helps them to

strengthen its relationship and of

course it's a tricky tricky situation

where um China will get involved and and

uh it will definitely in um in include

other players in the market but this is

a very significant deal that Japan has

backup from the US as well as the US

making sure that um they have an ally in

the region Asia Pacific so that they can

play a more stronger stance against

China which I I believe that is shared

between Mr. Taki and Trump.

>> And just very briefly, tariffs is

another bug bear, isn't it, for most

countries when it comes to dealing with

the US. Um, I know America wants better

access to Japan's car market, for

example. Where are things at the moment

when it comes to the two on tariffs?

And unfortunately in the Japan yen has

been quite weak u which weakened the the

um presence of the Japanese car makers

and that is why the deal with the US you

know m Donald Trump Donald Trump pushing

for the purchase of the American cars um

by Japan has been um quite um

controversial but at the same time with

the strong sentiment of the economy um

making pushing the uh NIK to be to

average to be more than 50,000 yen for

the first time in the history. It has a

good indication to the Japanese

companies overall and it definitely will

play a significant role when it comes to

the actual implementation of the the

trade related to the auto manufacturing.

>> Okay. Uh, Asa Kuabara, thank you very

much for sharing your thoughts and

analysis as President Trump continues

his visit to Japan.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
president /ˈprezɪdənt/ B1	noun - the elected head of a republic
meeting /ˈmiːtɪŋ/ A2	noun - an assembly of people for a particular purpose verb - to come into the presence or company of (someone) unexpectedly
minister /ˈmɪnɪstər/ B1	noun - a person appointed to a high office of state
talks /tɔːks/ B1	noun - a discussion or conference
trade /treɪd/ B1	noun - the action of buying and selling goods and services
security /sɪˈkjʊərɪti/ B1	noun - the state of being free from danger or threat
deal /diːl/ B1	noun - an agreement verb - to take action about
rare /reər/ B2	adjective - not found or done often
leader /ˈliːdə(r)/ B1	noun - a person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.
ties /taɪz/ B2	noun - a close relationship or connection.
arms /ɑːmz/ B2	noun - weapons and ammunition
speech /spiːtʃ/ B1	noun - a formal address or discourse delivered to an audience.
carrier /ˈkæriə(r)/ B2	noun - a person or thing that carries or transports something.
friendship /ˈfrendʃɪp/ A2	noun - the state of being friends
war /wɔːr/ A2	noun - a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country
bond /bɒnd/ B2	noun - a close connection or feeling of unity
alliance /əˈlaɪəns/ B2	noun - a formal agreement or treaty between two or more nations for mutual support in case of war.
strength /streŋθ/ B1	noun - the capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure.
common /ˈkɒmən/ A2	adjective - shared by all; belonging to all; widespread
military /ˈmɪlətəri/ B1	adjective - relating to the armed forces
spending /ˈspendɪŋ/ B1	noun - the action of spending money.
balance /ˈbæləns/ B2	noun - an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady verb - to keep or put (something) in a steady position so that it does not fall
domestic /dəˈmestɪk/ B2	adjective - relating to or originating within the country itself.
interest /ˈɪntrəst/ B1	noun - the feeling of wanting to know or learn about something or someone.
significant /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ B2	adjective - sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.
stance /stæns/ C1	noun - the way in which someone stands, especially when deliberately adopted (as in sport or in order to give a particular impression).
tariffs /ˈtærɪfs/ C1	noun - a tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports.
market /ˈmɑːkɪt/ A2	noun - a regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities.
access /ˈækses/ B1	noun - the opportunity or right to enter, use, or get near to something verb - reach or get into
car /kɑːr/ A1	noun - a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine
economy /ɪˈkɒnəmi/ B1	noun - the wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services.
implementation /ˌɪmplɪmənˈteɪʃən/ C1	noun - the process of putting a decision or plan into effect; execution.
analysis /əˈnæləsɪs/ B2	noun - detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.
shares /ʃeəz/ B2	verb - to have or use something at the same time as someone else.

Key Grammar Structures

• President Trump's been meeting Japan's Prime Minister Sai Takahichi for talks on trade and security.

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ The verb "been meeting" expresses an action that started in the past and has continued up to the present, often with 'for' to indicate duration.

• The pair have already signed a framework deal on the supply of critical minerals and rare earth minerals.

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The verb "have signed" indicates an action completed at an unspecified time before now, using "already" to emphasize completion before expected.

• He called her a winner.

  ➔ Reported Speech

  ➔ This is an example of "reported speech", where the speaker reports past words by saying "He called her a winner" instead of direct quotes like "She is a winner."

• Really, there's never been anything like it.

  ➔ Present Perfect (emphasis with never)

  ➔ "There's never been" uses "present perfect" to emphasize that something unique hasn't happened at any time up to now.

• Born out of the ashes of a terrible war.

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ The structure "Born" is in "passive voice" with "be" (understood), where the subject receives the action from "out of the ashes."

• They had a lot in common.

  ➔ Past Simple

  ➔ "Had" is in "past simple" to describe a completed action or state in the past, without specifying duration.

• He's pushing an open door.

  ➔ Present Continuous with Idiom

  ➔ "He's pushing" uses "present continuous" to describe an ongoing action, paired with the idiom "an open door" meaning convincing someone who already agrees.

• There's going to be some tough decisions for her to make.

  ➔ Future Planning with 'going to'

  ➔ "There's going to be" expresses a planned or predicted future event, emphasizing inevitability or intention.

• How significant is this in your estimation?

  ➔ Wh-Question with Relative Clause Feel

  ➔ "How significant is this" is a "wh-question" asking for evaluation, where "this" refers to the context, implying a comparison or assessment.

• They both want to show a strong stance against China.

  ➔ Complex Sentence with Infinitive

  ➔ "Want to show" uses an "infinitive" of purpose after "want", forming a complex sentence where "to show" explains the intention.