FOCUS: Summit with Trump First Diplomatic Test for Takaichi

Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji Press)–A bilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump expected next week will likely be the first diplomatic test for Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office Tuesday. The focus in the expected first meeting between the new prime minister, who stresses that the robust Japan-U.S. alliance is the cornerstone of Tokyo’s foreign policy, and the U.S. president is whether the two leaders will be able to build a relationship of trust and show their countries’ unity both domestically and internationally. Takaichi’s diplomatic skills will also be tested in relations with China and South Korea, which are increasingly wary of her conservative stance. At a news conference early Wednesday, soon after the Takaichi administration was launched Tuesday evening, Japan’s new Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara confirmed that preparations are underway for Trump to visit Japan next week and hold a meeting with Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister. “We want to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance and reaffirm (Japan-U.S.) cooperation to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region and resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea decades ago,” Kihara said of the possible Takaichi-Trump meeting. The two governments are working for the U.S. leader to visit the Asian country for three days from Monday, with the envisaged bilateral summit seen taking place Tuesday, according to informed sources. Takaichi herself told her inaugural news conference Tuesday evening that the Japan-U.S. alliance is “the linchpin of Tokyo’s diplomatic and security policies.” She said she wants to discuss with Trump bilateral issues as well as the situations in the Indo-Pacific region, the Middle East, Europe and Ukraine. “I hope to deepen mutual trust with the U.S. leader through frank exchanges of opinions,” she added. Still, a number of bilateral issues remain to be addressed, including the steady implementation of the Japan-U.S. tariff accord struck earlier this year and the 550-billion-dollar investments in and loans to the United States promised by Japan, as well as cooperation in reinforcing Japan’s defense capabilities. Trump may urge Takaichi to increase Japan’s defense outlays and upkeep spending for U.S. troops stationed in the country. Takaichi is also expected to attend a series of international meetings soon, including summits related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia and an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in South Korea. On the sidelines of the international summits, Takaichi may also hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. These meetings would be a good opportunity for Takaichi to promote herself to world leaders. Still, there are many pending issues in relations with China, including its coercive behavior around the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and around Taiwan. In addition, many Japanese nationals have been detained in China. Dialogue is important for preventing accidental clashes, but no Japan-China summit has been held since last November, when then Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Xi met in the Peruvian capital of Lima on the fringe of an APEC summit. With regard to South Korea, attention will be paid to whether Tokyo and Seoul will be able to maintain the so-called shuttle diplomacy, or reciprocal visits by the two nations’ leaders to each other’s country, and continue to improve the bilateral relations. Meanwhile, China and South Korea are concerned about Takaichi’s possible visit to war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The two neighboring countries regard the Shinto shrine as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism as it honors Class-A war criminals among the war dead. The new Japanese prime minister refrained from visiting the shrine during its three-day autumn festival through Sunday. Before becoming prime minister, Takaichi had repeatedly paid a visit to Yasukuni Shrine, including on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]