Approaching New Leader

Trump shock on the other side of Pacific Ocean kept on shaking Japan on Thusday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made his efforts to build new connection with the President-elect through diplomatic channels. Ignoring terminating fate of negotiation over Trans-Pacific Partnership, Tokyo stock market rallied with expectation for moderate economic policy of Trump administration. Japan optimistically hopes change of course that Trump has been going.

Abe had a twenty-minute telephone talk with Trump Thursday morning. “I believe that United States will be greater under the leadership of President Trump,” told Abe to congratulate unexpected victory of Trump. Abe insisted that peace and stability in Asia Pacific region was power resource of U.S. and Japan-U.S. relation was indispensable to the region.

Trump praised achievements of Abe administration. “U.S.-Japan relation is an excellent partnership and I want to reinforce this special relationship,” answered Trump. One news report revealed that Trump asked Abe about how to maintain an administration for such a long time as Abe’s. However, two leaders did not talk about important issues like TPP or cost for U.S. Force in Japan.

They agreed on having their first meeting in New York on next Thursday. Ministry of Foreign Affairs was delighted to be successful in getting an appointment of summit meeting for the first time in Group of Seven nations. Diplomatic experts around Abe have been making strategy for Japan-U.S. relation, which could be named as Japanese version of Nye-Armitage Report. Based on it, it is likely that Abe will urge Trump to maintain U.S. engagement to Asia-Pacific region in coming meeting.

As shown in the empty hope to United Kingdom for staying European Union, the Japanese people tend to expect that inconvenient result of a voting can be abolished. TV and newspapers reported demonstrations in U.S. cities, in which protesters were chanting “Not my President.” Expecting survival of TPP, House of Representatives passed the bills for ratification of TPP and send them to House of Councillors on Thursday. The lawmakers with leading parties look like ignoring comment of Trump’s staffs saying “TPP is dead.”

The argument over TPP in Japan has been made mainly in terms of agriculture policy. The pact is definitely needed to promote Abe’s political agenda of agricultural reform. They do not understand that TPP has been discussed in U.S. in terms of trade of cars. They do not know how great the impact of Japanese cars on local communities in Midwest states, which raised Trump to a victory. Democratic decision cannot be changed so easily.