Although the Japanese government has expressed its desire to strengthen ties with the Donald Trump administration, uncertainty remains over his unpredictable approach, according to a Japan-based political expert.
Trump has garnered supporters in Japan, driven by his campaign slogans and policies that resonate with certain political and economic views in the country.
In Tokyo, Trump supporters have been holding rallies to celebrate his return to the U.S. presidency.
Inspired by his "America First" policy, they argue that the Japanese government should take a similar approach and prioritize national interests.
"Trump taught us we should do 'Japan First' and we should stand by ourselves," said Yoko Matsuoka, a Trump supporter in Tokyo.
According to Paul Nadeau, professor of politics and international affairs at Temple University’s Japan Campus, Trump's unsettling unpredictability is a strategic move to gain leverage.
"We don't quite know what Trump wants to see from the U.S.-Japan relationship. We've seen tweets, we've seen statements, but we don't quite know what kind of deliverables he's expecting. And that's kind of the point with Trump -- he wants to keep things unpredictable because he thinks that creates leverage," said Nadeau.
Despite differing interests between the two nations, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed hope for a "win-win" relationship with the U.S., though Trump's stance on Japan remains unclear.
Both nations play key roles in the Asia-Pacific region and in regional cooperation frameworks such as the QUAD and U.S.-Japan-South Korea Trilateral Cooperation.
Nadeau explained that Trump prefers bilateral negotiations over multilateral alliances, which could affect frameworks like U.S.-Japan-South Korea cooperation. However, he noted that the Trump administration may still see strategic benefits in maintaining some partnerships.
"Generally, Trump likes to work bilaterally. He likes to work one-on-one, mano-a-mano. And generally, alliances or multilateral forums just aren't really his thing. So, there's sort of a general, abstract bias against frameworks like trilateral cooperation. But at the same time, there could be benefits to the United States that Trump administration may see as being worth keeping," he said.
Trump brings uncertainty to US-Japan relations: expert
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Zagreb on Saturday, expressing Croatia's willingness to further expand cooperation with China.
During the meeting, Plenkovic asked Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, to convey his sincere greetings to the Chinese leadership, saying that he looks forward to visiting China at an early date and meeting with the leadership.
Relations between Croatia and China have continued to improve, underpinned by mutual respect and sincere cooperation, Plenkovic said. Chinese enterprises have participated in infrastructure projects in Croatia, including roads, bridges and tunnels, he said, noting that the Peljesac Bridge has played a significant role in improving connectivity between different parts of the country.
The Croatian side highly appreciates these contributions and welcomes continued participation of Chinese enterprises in the country's development, he said. Croatia is willing to further expand cooperation with China in such areas as tourism, photovoltaics and wind power, he added.
The prime minister also welcomes the launch of direct flights between Croatia and China, looking forward to closer exchanges between their peoples.
Stressing that Croatia attaches great importance to cooperation with China under the China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) framework and the Belt and Road Initiative, Plenkovic said Croatia is willing to continue contributing to these efforts and looks forward to the early resumption of CEEC-China leaders' meeting mechanism to create new opportunities for closer high-level exchanges between the two sides.
For his part, Wang conveyed the Chinese leadership's good wishes to Plenkovic and welcomed him to visit China at a mutually convenient time.
Wang said China was among the first major countries to establish diplomatic relations with Croatia, adding that bilateral relations have enjoyed healthy, steady and sustainable development under the strategic guidance of the two countries' leaders.
China and Croatia treat each other with sincerity and mutual respect and have established a mature, long-term comprehensive cooperative partnership, Wang said, noting that this has been the right choice made by both sides. China is willing to further elevate bilateral relations on this foundation, he added.
Moreover, Wang said China cherishes its traditional friendship with Croatia and is willing to translate it into a strong driving force for bilateral relations in the new era.
Wang also said China respects the choices of the Croatian people and Croatia's governance model, and is willing to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation to support each other's development and revitalization.
China values people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Croatia and has introduced measures, including unilateral visa-free access and direct flights, to facilitate travel and enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, Wang stressed.
In addition, Wang noted that China firmly believes that China and the European Union (EU) are partners, not rivals. China supports European integration and Croatia's efforts to achieve faster development through this process, and hopes Croatia will play a constructive role in deepening China-EU cooperation, Wang added.
Meanwhile, Wang stressed that China and CEECs share a practical need to strengthen exchanges and cooperation. Such cooperation is entirely open and transparent and contributes to European integration, he said.
China is willing to strengthen cooperation with interested countries in the region through established mechanisms, Wang said, noting that China appreciates Croatia's positive attitude in this regard and is ready to use the 15th anniversary of the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism next year as an opportunity to reinvigorate mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides.
The two sides also exchanged views on China-EU economic and trade relations. Plenkovic said that EU countries, including Croatia, have concerns about trade imbalances. Participants at the recent EU summit spoke positively of the consensus reached through the China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism and expressed hope that the two sides would continue to strengthen communication and dialogue to properly address their differences, he said.
Wang said that trade issues between China and the EU stem from the international division of labor and market demand. Imports of high-quality, competitively priced Chinese goods benefit European consumers and help curb inflation, reflecting demand in the European market, and there is no so-called "overcapacity" problem, he noted.
China is willing to import more high-value-added products from Europe and hopes the EU will ease restrictions on exports to China, Wang said. China is committed to promoting balanced growth in bilateral trade, with both sides moving forward rather than backward and expanding shared benefits rather than diminishing them, he added.
He also said China is ready to strengthen dialogue with the EU on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, jointly uphold free trade and advance open and inclusive economic globalization.
Meanwhile, Plenkovic briefed Wang on the situation in the Western Balkans. Wang said that China does not interfere in the internal affairs of countries in the region and hopes that all countries will enhance understanding, rebuild mutual trust and coexist in harmony through dialogue. China is willing to play a constructive role in line with the needs of countries in the region, he added.
Croatian PM meets Chinese FM, voices willingness to expand bilateral cooperation
