Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba presented US President Donald Trump with a golden samurai helmet during their first official meeting at the White House on Friday. The gesture came shortly after Trump, 78, discussed the possibility of imposing tariffs on Japan while seeking to reduce the US trade deficit. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, however, has expressed optimism that his country could avoid higher tariffs. He said President Trump “recognised” Japan’s huge investment in the US and the American jobs it creates.
Japan PM gives Trump golden samurai helmet as gifthttps://t.co/C96W4wk78S#Trump #Ishiba
— Kyodo News | Japan (@kyodo_english) February 8, 2025
The gift, named “Eternal Helmet”, was crafted by Ningyo no Hanafusa, a specialty doll-making company based in the Prime Minister’s hometown, Tottori. Measuring 57 cm wide, 81 cm high, and 48 cm deep, the helmet is valued at approximately Yen 168,000 (Rs 97,000). The item was reportedly inspired by the renewed global interest in Japan’s samurai history, fuelled by the success of FX/Hulu’s hit series Shogun, according to Kyodo News.
Prime Minister Ishiba brought a special gift to Trump: the “Eternal Helmet” – a gold samurai helmet created by a company in the PM’s hometown.
Japanese government officials commented that such helmets are currently popular in the US, thanks to Ohtani and the Shogun TV series. pic.twitter.com/KEWaGSHjqE— Jeffrey J. Hall ???????????????? (@mrjeffu) February 8, 2025
The design, made of processed metal, embodies a wish for “eternal brilliance”, according to the company’s description. Tomoya Hanafusa, the company’s president, revealed that they received an order for the golden samurai helmet in November last year from Japan’s Foreign Ministry but were only told that it was meant for a foreign VIP. He only learned recently that the recipient was Trump.
Under US law, federal officials cannot personally retain gifts from foreign governments if they exceed $415 (Rs 32,350) in value. It remains to be seen if Trump would keep the golden samurai helmet or hand it over to the National Archives, as is customary for such high-value diplomatic gifts.
In return, Trump gifted Ishiba a copy of his ‘Save America’ picture book, featuring a cover photo from his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, last summer.
The exchange echoes past diplomatic gifting traditions. In 2016, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022, gave Trump a golden-painted golf club worth $3,755 (Rs 2,94,000), along with a $3,040 (Rs 2,38,000) driver and a $460 (Rs 36,000) putter.
This comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gifted Trump a “golden pager”, referencing Israel’s beeper attacks on Lebanon last year. Trump responded by giving Netanyahu a framed photo from their recent meeting, inscribed with: “To Bibi, a great leader.”