Relief in Japan After Shinzo Abe’s Visit With Trump
Japan wrote that first
"Now, obviously with Trump there’s a very big question mark whether the American commitments to these so-called shared values remain the same." From a strategic security standpoint, Japan may have few choices other than to continue a strong alliance with the United States, given threats from North Korea, which tested a ballistic missile while Mr. Abe was still in Florida with Mr. Trump,
and China, which has become more assertive in the East and South China Seas.
Japan, really, by itself, cannot handle the security problems in Asia." Mr. Trump may also be coming to realize
that with a rising China, Japan is the United States’ best ally in Asia.
Before the visit last week, some in the Japanese news media had gibed Mr. Abe for his apparent eagerness to foster a friendship with Mr. Trump, and some joked
that the American president would take advantage of the Japanese leader during their bout of golf diplomacy at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
But after an election campaign in which Mr. Trump frequently criticized Japan on trade issues and accused the country of not paying enough for its military defense, he assured Japan
that the relationship between the two countries "runs very, very deep,’’ and showed a deference to Mr. Abe that belied his previous remarks.