US Election: Japan’s Ishiba Congratulates U.S. President-Elect Trump in 1st Phone Talks; Japan Govt in Talks with Trump Team to Hold In-Person Meeting (UPDATE 1)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:06 JST, November 7, 2024 (updated at 15:00 JST)

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday morning, Japan time, when the two had their first phone talks after the Republican candidate won Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election.

Ishiba and Trump agreed to hold an in-person meeting as soon as possible to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance, according to the prime minister.

“We’ve confirmed that we will have a meeting at the earliest possible date and agreed to take the Japan-U.S. alliance to an even higher level,” Ishiba told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office following the phone talks.

However, he stopped short of saying when he would meet with the president-elect and only said that “arrangements are being made.”

“I felt that he is very friendly,” Ishiba said, when asked about what he thought of Trump. “I have the impression that I can speak frankly with him.”

The Japanese government is aiming to build a relationship with Trump as soon as possible.

Just days after Trump won the 2016 U.S. presidential election, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe flew to New York, becoming the first leader of a foreign country to meet with him. This helped the two form a friendly relationship in the following years.

To meet with Trump at the earliest possible date, the government has been in contact with officials of Trump’s campaign team who held high-ranking positions during his first term.

Other countries will also likely try to set up meetings between their leaders and Trump as soon as possible.

“It’s unclear whether we can realize a meeting [between Ishiba and Trump] at the earliest date we’re hoping for, but we’ll do our best,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

Trump could call on Tokyo to increase its share of the cost of having U.S. troops stationed in Japan. It is also a concern that he could create division among the Group of Seven industrialized nations.

“We’ll have to keep a close eye on what the new U.S. administration will actually demand of Japan,” a senior government official said.