Prime Minister Ishiba responded swiftly to the November 5th US presidential election.
When Trump declared victory on November 6th (Japan time), Ishiba immediately sent a congratulatory letter in which he “expressed that he would like to work closely together to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. Alliance, which is a top priority of his administration, and to realize a Free and Open Indo-Pacific“.
On the morning of November 7th, they held a roughly five-minute phone conversation, confirming their intention to deepen the Japan-US alliance further. Ishiba remarked that the call felt “very friendly.”
According to reports, he is considering stopping in the United States on his way back from the G20 Rio de Janeiro summit on November 18-19 to meet Trump in person.
The sequence of events closely mirrors 2016, when former Prime Minister Abe visited Trump Tower on November 17th before attending the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Peru.
The parallel is particularly noteworthy given the former rivalry between Ishiba and Abe within Japan’s political landscape.
Abe’s memoir reveals his strategic reasoning for the early Trump Tower visit.
He recognized the urgency of establishing trust, particularly given Trump’s campaign rhetoric questioning the Japan-US alliance, including his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, accusations of Japan “cheating” in exchange rates, and criticism of Toyota.
However, Yoichi Funabashi’s October 2024 biography of Abe, based on extensive interviews with key figures, reveals the carefully orchestrated nature of this engagement.
The groundwork began during the September 2016 UN General Assembly, where Abe met with Wilbur Ross, who later became Commerce Secretary, as Trump’s representative.
Three days before the election, Abe’s team initiated contact with Trump’s campaign regarding a congratulatory call.
Then Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga, the architect of this approach, dismissed concerns from Foreign Ministry officials with characteristic pragmatism, stating, “If Trump loses, we can simply ignore it.”
