Shigeru Ishiba‚ Japanʼs prime-minister had a quick five-minute chat with Donald Trump on thursday morning (tokyo time) and they both agreed to meet soon; the talk was very open-minded according to Ishiba
The US-Japan partnership is super-important for both sides: Japan gives military-bases to US while America helps protect Japanese interests in Asia. The meeting might happen right after nov 18 G20 summit in Brazil‚ sources say - this info comes from three well-informed people who cant share their names
About 8 years ago Shinzo Abe (who passed away 2 years ago) made a smart move by being first foreign leader to visit Trump after his win. They became good friends and spent lots of time playing golf which helped solve many US-Japan issues: this is what Ishiba wants to copy
Some experts think its not gonna be easy for current Japanese leader:
- Trump doesnt like current security deal that makes US protect Japan
- He might want Japan to pay more for keeping US troops there
- Ishibaʼs government isnt as stable as Abes was
I felt that he was very friendly So from now on I have the impression that we can talk frankly
When asked about military costs Ishiba said they didnt talk about money stuff yet - instead he wants to look at many different ways to make Japan-US friendship stronger