By Takuya Nishimura, APP Senior Fellow, Former Editorial Writer for The Hokkaido Shimbun
The views expressed by the author are his own and are not associated with The Hokkaido Shimbun
You can find his blog, J Update here.
February 17, 2025. Special to Asia Policy Point
In remarks to both Houses of the Diet, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba celebrated his first meeting earlier this month with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, DC. The opposition parties could not point to any failures on Ishiba’s part because Trump refrained from making any burdensome demands. However, subsequent developments in Trump’s implementation of his America First agenda have blurred Ishiba’s “achievements.”
In the Diet discussion, Ishiba hailed a “new golden age of the Japan-U.S. alliance” that would lift bilateral ties to a new height in bringing the world peace and prosperity. “I made sure with President Trump that it would be important to cooperate with like-minded countries, such as the framework of Japan-U.S.-Australia-India, Japan-U.S.-Republic of Korea or Japan-U.S.-Philippines,” said Ishiba.
Emphasizing Japan’s policy of fundamentally enhancing its defense capability, Ishiba told lawmakers that Trump had welcomed that effort and that he had expressed the unshakable commitment of the U.S. to the security of Japan. According to Ishiba, this commitment is based on U.S. nuclear power which is interpreted as “extended deterrence.” Ishiba also reconfirmed Trump’s support for the relocation of the U.S. Force in Okinawa, including construction of an alternative facility at Futenma Air Base in Henoko.
On the economy, Ishiba said that he had impressed upon Trump the fact that Japanese companies have been the top set of foreign investors in the U.S. for five consecutive years. Ishiba focused on mutually beneficial activities, including work between Japan and the U.S. on advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors, and Japan’s importation of liquefied natural gas from the U.S.
However, lawmakers have questioned whether Ishiba succeeded in continuing Japan’s economic relationship with the U.S. Shortly after his meeting with Ishiba, Trump announced a plan to impose reciprocal tariffs on imported goods and 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum. One of the CDPJ lawmakers in the Upper House, Tetsuro Fukuyama, asked whether Trump really shared the prime minister’s view of the value of free trade.
Ishiba told the Diet that he would request that the Trump administration drop Japan from the list of countries subject to the new tariffs. He also said that Trump recognized that the deal between Nippon Steel and US Steel was not only an acquisition but also an investment in US Steel to improve its technology.
Developments since the meeting with Trump have run counter to the messages that Ishiba took away. The expected meeting between Trump and the president of Nippon Steel has not yet been set. Although Trump has argued that no one should take a majority stake in US Steel, Nippon Steel still insists on doing so. Another negative development is Trump’s plan to impose new tariffs on cars, Japan’s main export to the U.S., starting on April 2.
Elsewhere, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, called on NATO countries to raise their defense spending to five percent of GDP, an objective that Trump has long pursued. Along this line, Trump may demand that Japan contribute more to the cost of U.S. security assistance. Still, in the Diet, Ishiba said that Japan would continue its budgeted spending on national at 43 trillion yen for the five years between FY 2023 and FY 2027, regardless of changes in foreign exchange or price inflation.
The public’s overall evaluation of Ishiba’s meeting with Trump has been mildly positive. In the latest poll by Yomiuri Shimbun, 51 percent positively evaluated the meeting, and 38 percent had a negative impression. The approval rating for the Ishiba Cabinet is now at 40 percent according to a poll by Asahi Shimbun, marking a 7-point increase from January.
Considering the volatility of U.S. diplomacy in Trump 2.0, Ishiba cannot feel safe, even if he seems to have come through the summit talks with Trump with positive news.
The views expressed by the author are his own and are not associated with The Hokkaido Shimbun
You can find his blog, J Update here.
February 17, 2025. Special to Asia Policy Point
In remarks to both Houses of the Diet, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba celebrated his first meeting earlier this month with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, DC. The opposition parties could not point to any failures on Ishiba’s part because Trump refrained from making any burdensome demands. However, subsequent developments in Trump’s implementation of his America First agenda have blurred Ishiba’s “achievements.”
In the Diet discussion, Ishiba hailed a “new golden age of the Japan-U.S. alliance” that would lift bilateral ties to a new height in bringing the world peace and prosperity. “I made sure with President Trump that it would be important to cooperate with like-minded countries, such as the framework of Japan-U.S.-Australia-India, Japan-U.S.-Republic of Korea or Japan-U.S.-Philippines,” said Ishiba.
Emphasizing Japan’s policy of fundamentally enhancing its defense capability, Ishiba told lawmakers that Trump had welcomed that effort and that he had expressed the unshakable commitment of the U.S. to the security of Japan. According to Ishiba, this commitment is based on U.S. nuclear power which is interpreted as “extended deterrence.” Ishiba also reconfirmed Trump’s support for the relocation of the U.S. Force in Okinawa, including construction of an alternative facility at Futenma Air Base in Henoko.
On the economy, Ishiba said that he had impressed upon Trump the fact that Japanese companies have been the top set of foreign investors in the U.S. for five consecutive years. Ishiba focused on mutually beneficial activities, including work between Japan and the U.S. on advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors, and Japan’s importation of liquefied natural gas from the U.S.
However, lawmakers have questioned whether Ishiba succeeded in continuing Japan’s economic relationship with the U.S. Shortly after his meeting with Ishiba, Trump announced a plan to impose reciprocal tariffs on imported goods and 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum. One of the CDPJ lawmakers in the Upper House, Tetsuro Fukuyama, asked whether Trump really shared the prime minister’s view of the value of free trade.
Ishiba told the Diet that he would request that the Trump administration drop Japan from the list of countries subject to the new tariffs. He also said that Trump recognized that the deal between Nippon Steel and US Steel was not only an acquisition but also an investment in US Steel to improve its technology.
Developments since the meeting with Trump have run counter to the messages that Ishiba took away. The expected meeting between Trump and the president of Nippon Steel has not yet been set. Although Trump has argued that no one should take a majority stake in US Steel, Nippon Steel still insists on doing so. Another negative development is Trump’s plan to impose new tariffs on cars, Japan’s main export to the U.S., starting on April 2.
Elsewhere, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, called on NATO countries to raise their defense spending to five percent of GDP, an objective that Trump has long pursued. Along this line, Trump may demand that Japan contribute more to the cost of U.S. security assistance. Still, in the Diet, Ishiba said that Japan would continue its budgeted spending on national at 43 trillion yen for the five years between FY 2023 and FY 2027, regardless of changes in foreign exchange or price inflation.
The public’s overall evaluation of Ishiba’s meeting with Trump has been mildly positive. In the latest poll by Yomiuri Shimbun, 51 percent positively evaluated the meeting, and 38 percent had a negative impression. The approval rating for the Ishiba Cabinet is now at 40 percent according to a poll by Asahi Shimbun, marking a 7-point increase from January.
Considering the volatility of U.S. diplomacy in Trump 2.0, Ishiba cannot feel safe, even if he seems to have come through the summit talks with Trump with positive news.
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