Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is using her G7 debut to leverage her rapport with Donald Trump to improve ties between the US and the bloc.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s first attendance at this week’s G7 summit aims to turn her rapport with Donald Trump into a bridge between the US president and the bloc’s leaders, as she seeks to cement her image as Japan’s “Iron Lady”. During a working dinner at the three-day meeting which began in Evian, eastern France, on Monday, Takaichi also proposed a joint strategic stockpile partnership to boost critical mineral supply chains and dent China’s dominance in the sector. “I want to discuss.....