Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba went into his first summit assembly with US President Donald Trump amid considerations in Tokyo that Japan may very well be subsequent within the firing line of US allies after Canada and others.
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Revealed Feb 09, 2025 • 5 minute learn
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(Bloomberg) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba went into his first summit assembly with US President Donald Trump amid considerations in Tokyo that Japan may very well be subsequent within the firing line of US allies after Canada and others.
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As an alternative, the Japanese chief flew house on Friday having appeared to strike up a heat relationship with Trump, safe affirmation of a detailed safety alliance and agree a highway map for deeper financial ties.
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“I do suppose we’ve got chemistry,” stated Ishiba on Sunday, following his return to Japan.
Given the dangers going through Japan and the potential of surprising strikes from Trump, consultants broadly agreed that Ishiba did a great job of kicking off a optimistic relationship, ticking off key agenda objects together with reconfirming the safety alliance, and staying away from trickier topics. With Trump’s threats of ‘reciprocal’ tariffs this week, Japan may nonetheless be hit with greater levies from the US, however the broader image confirmed the comparatively inexperienced Ishiba come away with pragmatic outcomes.
By focusing his message on what Japan may do to assist Trump’s “America First” agenda, Ishiba provided a template for different international locations to take care of Trump’s transactional nature, stated Yuka Hayashi, a vp of the Asia Group, a consultancy.
Ishiba’s reward of Trump for all the things from surviving an assassination try, eradicating restrictions on US fossil gasoline extraction and spurring Japan’s strikes to speculate extra in its navy contributed to a summit that exceeded expectations, Hayashi stated.
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“Ishiba hit a house run,” she stated.
The prime minister’s 24-hour whirlwind go to to Washington DC even resulted within the potential dislodging of a thorn within the aspect of US-Japan ties after Trump stated he’s enthusiastic about Nippon Metal Corp. making a significant funding in US Metal Corp, as an alternative of buying it outright. Trump has opposed a proposed buyout of the enduring US firm by Nippon Metal after his predecessor Joe Biden blocked the deal.
“After the achievements of this summit, I hope to work with President Trump to construct a brand new golden period in Japan-US relations,” Ishiba stated throughout a press convention after the assembly.
The summit represented a transparent shift in technique by Japan to focus extra on Trump’s precedence areas, over extra international points that have been the main target of former President Joe Biden.
In interviews, Japanese authorities officers stated planning for the summit checked out areas through which Tokyo’s pursuits intersected with Trump’s priorities. One comparatively simple win was in power coverage. Japan imports nearly all its power and Trump has pledged to unleash America’s untapped power reserves.
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Through the summit, Japan stated it will import extra LNG from the US and in addition expressed curiosity in cooperating in an bold undertaking to ship LNG by way of a pipeline from northern Alaska. Particulars of what Japan would contribute stay obscure, however on the press convention Trump celebrated the settlement as a breakthrough that couldn’t have occurred below Biden.
Previous to the summit, Ishiba consulted with earlier prime ministers about US-Japan relations, and within the opening exchanges with Trump within the Oval Workplace, Ishiba combined reward for the US chief with particulars about new Japanese funding within the US, together with new and upgraded auto vegetation from Isuzu Motors Ltd. and Toyota Motor Corp.
All through occasions, the prime minister by no means appeared uncomfortable, even when Trump stated tariffs may very well be an possibility if Japan continues to run a commerce surplus with the US. The Japanese chief’s sluggish, deadpan supply didn’t seem to make exchanges awkward, with Trump heaping reward on Ishiba, who has solely been nationwide chief for simply over 4 months.
“I feel that he’s going to be an important prime minister. I feel he’s a really robust man, very, very robust. I’ve nice respect for him,” Trump stated.
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Ishiba even prompted a smile from Trump and laughs from US officers when he was requested by a journalist if Japan would take into account retaliation if the US imposed new tariffs on Japan. “Effectively, as we at all times say in official conditions, I can’t reply a hypothetical query,” Ishiba stated.
Kurt Tong, a former deputy head of mission of the US embassy in Tokyo, stated the success of the summit was a vindication of the Japanese chief’s dedication to hunt a gathering with Trump early within the president’s second time period.
“Some individuals stated it was a chance for Ishiba to go to Washington when the White Home is so charged up on numerous points, however he pulled it off,” Tong stated.
To make sure, Japan’s relationship with the US is much less fraught than that of many different American allies. Japan has no hyperlink to problems with unlawful immigration and medicines which have roiled US ties with Canada and Mexico. There’s additionally no territorial dispute just like that with Denmark over Greenland, and Japan’s commerce surplus with the US is much smaller than that of nations like Germany and Vietnam.
American and Japanese pursuits additionally intently align in relation to considerations about China’s rising navy energy. One of many high targets for the Washington summit for Japan was to verify the US dedication to their safety alliance, which was made clear by Trump and in a joint assertion referring to an “unshakable dedication” by the US to defend Japan.
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Nonetheless, Tokyo may very well be caught up in rigidity over new US tariffs and progress in US-Japan cooperation over the Alaska LNG undertaking must be monitored, stated Ryoji Watanabe, a chief analyst at Sumitomo Corp. in Washington. Trump has stated he plans to unveil reciprocal tariffs this week, a transfer that has the potential to hit Japan, particularly its agriculatural merchandise.
However in distinction to another US allies, Japan advantages from the robust story it has to inform about its contributions to the US economic system and its efforts to alleviate a few of the US navy burden in Asia by way of rising protection spending, stated Hal Manufacturers, a professor of world affairs at Johns Hopkins College in Washington.
Trump defied some expectations that he may use the summit to demand Japan spend extra on defending itself, as an alternative praising Tokyo’s ongoing strikes to elevate its protection spending to 2% of gross home product from 1% by 2027. In distinction, Trump has already referred to as for NATO members to spend 5% of their GDP on protection.
Kurt Tong, who’s now managing companion on the Asia Group, stated the summit helped present a highway map for a way different US associates and allies may method the US below Trump.
“Clearly the Japanese aspect adjusted their method to Trump’s model and insurance policies,” he stated.
—With help from Sakura Murakami.
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