Abe tries to keep Japan on Trump's radar ahead of Singapore summit

Whether that translates into a turn away from the U.S and the West and a turn towards China is not yet clear,

Good question, but given Trump's propensity to burn bridges, alienate nations, and flip-flop I have to think India along with other countries will re-evaluate their relations with the US. At this point, China and Russia appear much more stable.

GoTrumpers in the US and 'abroad' have helped elect a man who's making the US weaker than it's been in recent history. They've helped usher in the new 'global' order. As Pete TownHend might have said, 'meet the new boss, even worse than the old boss'.

Keeping anything on Trump's radar that doesn't measure at least 36C is a major undertaking.

Abe has managed his relation with Trump pretty well, and so far at least, managed to deflect most of Trump's demands without angering him.

That's what a good sycophant or minion does. Even when they get stabbed in the back repeatedly, they come back for more. (Hello Cruz and Ryan).

China says its intentions are peaceful and rejects any suggestion it harbours territorial ambitions in Asia.

ROTFLMAO!!

Hadn't really thought about this previously, but Taiwan could be the biggest loser in all this. And it wouldn't take the annihilation of South Korea or Japan to accomplish this -- just a US pull-back and the further weakening of the ROK and Japan. And India or Vietnam could follow, or maybe Laos, for a dress rehearsal. The whole domino theory could be resurrected.

pander pander

Abe to self, "boy those hands look big!"

Let's see how far off the edge Trump will go to "look" like he's a hero. I have zero doubt that NK will want US troops out of the Korean Peninsula. The US military will be absolutely against it, South Korea is against it, Japan is against it, every US ally from Australia to Taiwan is against it. But that kind of overwhelming view has never stopped Trump from driving the car off the road.

One picture worth a thousand words.

This guy needs a phd in brown nosing. His predecessors had every chance to alleviate or at least break ground on this issue but chose to kick the can down the road. Face it. Its now Koreas turn to take center stage. Abe's just stuck at the denial stage.

Already, Japan has reinforced islands along the edge of the East China Sea, sought new regional allies, such as Australia and India, to balance China's power and, more recently, made a diplomatic push to reduce tensions with Beijing.

I am not as confident about the position of India as I once was. I would not, at this stage, consider India an ally in any military sense. The problem you have is India is in a position of weakness compared to China and quite understandably they seem increasingly set on trying to create good or at least decent ties to prevent any Chinese aggression on the border which they cannot adequately defend.

Whether that translates into a turn away from the U.S and the West and a turn towards China is not yet clear, but aside from the desire to create reasonable ties, there are still border issues and still massive political cultural differences.

India is in a really tight balancing act because of the thousands of kilometers of shared border.

From the photo one wonders what must have been going through the head of the seemingly bemused Abe confronted by the ever inscrutable, obtuse and erratic deal breaker: to shake or not to shake? trick or treat? just where has that hand been? ふざけるな！Can't wait to get back home where I can just bow and smile - it's so much more convenient!

Abe has managed his relation with Trump pretty well, and so far at least, managed to deflect most of Trump's demands without angering him.

True. But the fundamental trade problems/imbalances/tariffs etc remain

Poor Abe is feeling left out?

Trump's rudderless, ego-driven foreign policy is a threat to all of North Korea's and to all of China's neighbours.

Japan has become LITTLE BROTHER of USA.

Japan has to always pander USA

The Japanese people need to elect a PM that is not a lap dog to the US. Japan needs to regain it independence and sovereignty from the US. For over 70 Japan has been under US occupation.

Despite the sour grapes of the never Trumpers, who consistently let their emotions rule them, Trump is a winner, and his foreign policy is so much more informed by reality than the last US president. Abe is smart to know this, and he will act accordingly. Japan does not have enough youth to defend itself any longer, and the idea of biting the hand of the ally that has made it rich is a very foolish one.

The US will always be Japan's biggest trading partner, and Abe is smart enough to realize this. Relying on the sorty of ambivalence that AU and India invariably display would be a fatal mistake.

Abe has managed his relation with Trump pretty well, and so far at least, managed to deflect most of Trump's demands without angering him.

The charismatic young leaders from France and Canada took Trump's baits and their countries became targets. They should learn from the old fellas Abe and May

Two great leaders - PM Abe and Trump - doing everything they can for East Asia and Japan. Trump and PM Abe were the big winners in the G6 Summits.

I am really looking firward to the summit in Singapore so much!