Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday he wants to work closely with new U.S. President Donald Trump to elevate the longstanding bilateral alliance and achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific amid China's growing assertiveness in the region.
Noting that the date of a summit meeting will be fixed soon, Ishiba said he wants to emphasize to Trump the benefits of enhancing bilateral ties while each country pursues its own interests, characterizing the U.S. leader as "favoring bilateral, rather than multilateral, arrangements."
Japanese government officials are keeping close tabs on how Trump's second presidency will unfold, after his first term led to a decline in U.S. involvement in multilateral frameworks and raised concerns about its waning presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Ishiba was quick to post a congratulatory message on the X social media platform as Trump's swearing-in event took place in Washington on Monday, saying he is looking forward to "collaborating with you to reinforce the enduring Japan-U.S. partnership."
The Japanese prime minister later told reporters at his office that he wants to meet with Trump in person soon in the United States.
"I want to have serious discussions with him to build trust, exploring how our bilateral relations based on our respective national interests will contribute to the world's peace and economy," Ishiba said.
Government sources have been looking at the first half of February as a possible time for the Japanese leader's trip to the United States.
Joe Biden, taking over from Trump in January 2021, has been credited for recommitting to multilateralism and pursuing what the administration called a "latticework" of partnerships and alliances to address various challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
Trump wasted no time in implementing his agenda, ordering that the United States withdraw from the Paris climate agreement aimed at curbing global warming and saying he intends to impose a 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada from Feb 1.
Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said the Japan-U.S. alliance will remain the "linchpin" of his country's defense and security policy as Tokyo aims to lift it to "new heights."
Hayashi also stressed the importance of continued U.S. involvement in global frameworks, particularly on climate change where efforts by all nations are required.
"We believe it is critical that the United States will remain in the global fight against climate change," the chief Cabinet secretary told a regular press conference.
Trump has promised to bring back his "America First" platform, which during his first term posed challenges for allies who were forced to deal with his erratic decision-making, provocative rhetoric and transactional approach.
In the years since Trump's first term, Japan has decided to boost its defense capabilities and spending as the two nations enhance the interoperability of the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told a separate press conference that he will "closely communicate with the new administration to further beef up the Japan-U.S. alliance's deterrence and response capabilities" amid the increasingly severe security environment.
Nakatani also expressed hope to hold a meeting at an early date with Pete Hegseth, tapped as U.S. defense secretary, although he added a specific date has yet to be determined.
© KYODO
19 Comments
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Yrral
Learn how to grovel
obladi
gosh, what an original idea.
deanzaZZR
It saddens me to see Japanese independence and self-confidence decline to an all time low since the end of WW2.
Dango bong
it starts with fair trade. the US need to tariff Japanese goods the same amount American goods are charged in Japan. That is the starting point.
Garthgoyle
She's not a US citizen so that's not his problem.
Also, her problem, as sad as it is, does not have a solution except acceptance.
factchecker
Hopefully the tangerine scream will give Ishiba enough time for a smoke. Working so closely with a thin skinned narcissist will be stressful.
diobrando
In other word gvt to keep going a bootlickers....
CaptDingleheimer
Ishiba should cut off all diplomatic relations and trade with the US for 4 years to protest Trump saying there’s only two genders.
DanteKH
Japan needs stronger and smarter PMs...
elephant200
Not surprised. Japan as a vassal state that they were always spinless. Japan of today is like China in 1930s in a panic mode !
TokyoLiving
Naive Ishiba..
LOL
Fos
The big US industrial military complex is trying to destabilize another continent and is courting Japan to achieve his scope. As if the disasters in Eastern Europe and Middle East haven't killed enough innocent people, and to what result?
The history of U.S. foreign policy shows that the United States will strongly confront superpowers antagonistic to it — the United Kingdom during the American Revolution, Germany during the two world wars and the Soviet Union after World War II. If Washington sees China as a threat to its hegemony, it will confront the Chinese. Just as the United Kingdom was a vital ally for the United States when it was at odds first with Germany and later with the Soviet Union across the Atlantic, so now is the United States’ alliance with Japan crucial for the country.
JboneInTheZone
They must not teach history in China because it was actually the opposite
Bret T
"Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said the Japan-U.S. alliance will remain the "linchpin" of his country's defense and security policy as Tokyo aims to lift it to "new heights."
Translation: Wow! This self-defense stuff we tried is really expensive! Maybe Trump's not such a bad guy after all. So,...
"Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told a separate press conference that he will "closely communicate with the new administration to further beef up the Japan-U.S. alliance's deterrence and response capabilities" amid the increasingly severe security environment."
Fos
Oh really? I must have missed something. Let me double check...
Actually there is nothing wrong apart from the fact that I do not read legacy media.
Maybe we should enroll to a history class online in the US, or current geopolitics, where they teach which countries are actually part of BRICS (see the Spain slip up:))
Cephus
"Ishiba hopes to work closely with Trump for robust Japan-U.S. ties."
Peace to all men of good will.
OssanAmerica
You would prefer it was still the Great Japanese Empire stomping all over China? Weird.
deanzaZZR
You missed the "end of WW2" part. Your comment seems off topic but that's for the Mods to decide. Perhaps they enjoy memories of "Great Japanese Empire stomping all over China" too. Weird.
jib
It seems Ishiba wants to be on the right side of history.