Towards the end of May 2019, Donald Trump had become the first foreign leader to meet the new Emperor of Japan, Naruhito. He was greeted by the emperor, as well as by Empress Masako, during his visit to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Even if this statement seems to be the topic of many other articles found online, it is well known that Trump wasn’t there just to meet the new emperor. The US president visited Japan mainly to have a meeting with the country’s PM, Shinzo Abe, and discuss some matters related to North Korea and its possible UN violations, some to the Middle East, as well as some regarding trade and the new tariffs Trump wants to implement.
Nonetheless, the meeting was a historic military one. Especially given the fact that Trump has voiced some opinions that didn’t quite follow Abe’s mindset and, instead seemed to praise the North Korean leader, amongst many other things.
Therefore, without any further ado, let’s see exactly what happened during Trump’s four-day stay in Japan and what was talked about!
The Most Pressing Issues
Clearly, two of the most pressing issues Trump and Abe had to discuss were related to trade overall and North Korea. Even though the two showed close personal friendship – mainly only to emphasize on the countries’ long-held ties – tension could not be avoided.
However, Trump quickly brushed things off by stating that he was personally not bothered by these tests. This showed us that, even if Abe is constantly trying to show signs of respect and friendship towards Trump, the US leader does not change his standing.
Moreover, to make things a tad worse, Trump took the North Korean leader’s side when determining if the short-term missile launches had violated the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
Shinzo Abe, John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, as well as most analysts, believe that the tests did violate the aforementioned resolutions. The analysts even going as far as to state that the missiles may have been ballistic – a type not allowed under UN.
However, Trump didn’t want to mention the things Japan would have to do in order to avoid the aforementioned tariffs. Instead, he focused on the trade imbalance with the nation, to which he referred as unbelievably large.
Trump also mentioned that trade deals with China and Japan are expected in the future.
The Middle East
Back then, in May, Abe was believed to visit Iran in June – and so he did. He talked about the tensions between the US and Iran, a thing that was expected by Trump, as the latter supported Abe in order to facilitate talks with the Middle Eastern country.
Moreover, Trump announced that 1500 troops would be sent to the Middle East, mainly due to the rising tensions between Iran and the US. Reportedly, the US leader stated that he doesn’t want to see terrible things happening, mentioning that if Iran would like to talk, he would like to do so as well.
Given that Abe is close to the leader of Iran, it might be that Trump saw Japan as one of the reliable platforms on which the US could make things a bit better with the Middle East – or at least in their favor.
The Bottom Line
Overall, it is safe to say that Trump didn’t hold back. He even went as far as to call Joe Biden a disaster, once more siding with the North Korean leader. He also complained about the former US administration, namely Obama-Biden.
Thus, he had broken an unspoken rule of the US officeholders – they would generally avoid any talks about politics while on foreign grounds. Instead, Trump agreed more than once with Kim and attacked Biden – all on top of his statement regarding the missile tests that may have bothered Japan’s PM.
On the bright side, Trump and Abe went to a sumo tournament together, played golf, and attended a black-tie banquet at the palace. While the relationship between the two seems more than friendly, we are yet to discover who is trying to get closer to whom.
Both Abe and Trump would get their hands on some benefits, so to say, if they managed to get on each other’s good side.
Even if this statement seems to be the topic of many other articles found online, it is well known that Trump wasn’t there just to meet the new emperor. The US president visited Japan mainly to have a meeting with the country’s PM, Shinzo Abe, and discuss some matters related to North Korea and its possible UN violations, some to the Middle East, as well as some regarding trade and the new tariffs Trump wants to implement.
Nonetheless, the meeting was a historic military one. Especially given the fact that Trump has voiced some opinions that didn’t quite follow Abe’s mindset and, instead seemed to praise the North Korean leader, amongst many other things.
Therefore, without any further ado, let’s see exactly what happened during Trump’s four-day stay in Japan and what was talked about!
The Most Pressing Issues
Clearly, two of the most pressing issues Trump and Abe had to discuss were related to trade overall and North Korea. Even though the two showed close personal friendship – mainly only to emphasize on the countries’ long-held ties – tension could not be avoided.
- North Korea’s Missile Tests
However, Trump quickly brushed things off by stating that he was personally not bothered by these tests. This showed us that, even if Abe is constantly trying to show signs of respect and friendship towards Trump, the US leader does not change his standing.
Moreover, to make things a tad worse, Trump took the North Korean leader’s side when determining if the short-term missile launches had violated the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
Shinzo Abe, John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, as well as most analysts, believe that the tests did violate the aforementioned resolutions. The analysts even going as far as to state that the missiles may have been ballistic – a type not allowed under UN.
- Trade
However, Trump didn’t want to mention the things Japan would have to do in order to avoid the aforementioned tariffs. Instead, he focused on the trade imbalance with the nation, to which he referred as unbelievably large.
Trump also mentioned that trade deals with China and Japan are expected in the future.
The Middle East
Back then, in May, Abe was believed to visit Iran in June – and so he did. He talked about the tensions between the US and Iran, a thing that was expected by Trump, as the latter supported Abe in order to facilitate talks with the Middle Eastern country.
Moreover, Trump announced that 1500 troops would be sent to the Middle East, mainly due to the rising tensions between Iran and the US. Reportedly, the US leader stated that he doesn’t want to see terrible things happening, mentioning that if Iran would like to talk, he would like to do so as well.
Given that Abe is close to the leader of Iran, it might be that Trump saw Japan as one of the reliable platforms on which the US could make things a bit better with the Middle East – or at least in their favor.
The Bottom Line
Overall, it is safe to say that Trump didn’t hold back. He even went as far as to call Joe Biden a disaster, once more siding with the North Korean leader. He also complained about the former US administration, namely Obama-Biden.
Thus, he had broken an unspoken rule of the US officeholders – they would generally avoid any talks about politics while on foreign grounds. Instead, Trump agreed more than once with Kim and attacked Biden – all on top of his statement regarding the missile tests that may have bothered Japan’s PM.
On the bright side, Trump and Abe went to a sumo tournament together, played golf, and attended a black-tie banquet at the palace. While the relationship between the two seems more than friendly, we are yet to discover who is trying to get closer to whom.
Both Abe and Trump would get their hands on some benefits, so to say, if they managed to get on each other’s good side.
