{"id":2400297,"date":"2025-02-07T12:42:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T17:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pm-ishiba-seeks-personal-relationship-with-trump-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-02-07T12:43:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T17:43:42","slug":"pm-ishiba-seeks-personal-relationship-with-trump-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pm-ishiba-seeks-personal-relationship-with-trump-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Ishiba seeks &#8216;personal relationship&#8217; with Trump &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpm-ishiba-seeks-personal-relationship-with-trump-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2400297&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is preparing for an importent \u200dmeeting \u200bwith President Donald Trump at the White \u2062House, aimed at reaffirming the longstanding alliance between \u200cthe U.S. and Japan and building a personal rapport. \u2062Ahead of\u2064 this meeting, Ishiba has sought\u2062 advice from former Japanese leaders and insights from Shinzo Abe&#8217;s\u2062 widow, as he aims to establish a constructive relationship similar to \u2064that which Abe had with Trump.\u2063 The two leaders will discuss mutual interests, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/veronique-de-rugy-republicans-must-avoid-repeating-history-with-the-budget\/\" title=\"Veronique de Rugy: Republicans Must Avoid Repeating History with the Budget\">including defense spending<\/a> and cybersecurity, even though specific agenda items remain flexible. The meeting comes at a crucial time for Japan, as \u200cunresolved issues such as business acquisitions and North korea&#8217;s actions continue to pose challenges for\u2064 U.S.-Japan relations. Ishiba hopes that\u2062 this\u2064 meeting will help bolster communications and cooperation amidst a\u2063 shifting geopolitical landscape.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Japanese PM sought advice from Shinzo Abe&rsquo;s widow ahead of Trump meeting<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1927846\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/japan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">prime minister<\/a> of Japan<\/a> knows he has big shoes to fill as he prepares to meet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">President Donald Trump<\/a>, whose well-documented friendship with the late Shinzo Abe defined trans-Pacific collaboration during his first administration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is meeting with Trump at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">White House<\/a> Friday afternoon for a brief introduction with two simple priorities: reaffirming the two countries&rsquo; existing alliance and establishing a &ldquo;personal relationship of trust&rdquo; between the leaders.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have just an agenda of U.S.-Japan relations, so other than that, there&rsquo;s no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/charges-filed-against-2-suspects-in-murder-of-kristin-smart\/\" title=\"Charges filed against 2 suspects in murder of Kristin Smart\">specific items<\/a> to be discussed,&rdquo; a&nbsp;senior Japanese official&nbsp;told reporters on Thursday. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s completely up to the leaders.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3313893\/trump-eyeing-japan-defense-spending-ahead-of-meeting-prime-minister-ishiba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"TRUMP EYEING JAPAN&rsquo;S DEFENSE SPENDING AHEAD OF MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER\"><strong>TRUMP EYEING JAPAN&rsquo;S DEFENSE SPENDING AHEAD OF MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Japan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo\/Kevin Wolf)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The official, who briefed the press ahead of the meeting on the condition of anonymity, said Ishiba has been consulting with those familiar with Trump for advice and feedback on how to approach the president.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[Ishiba] met former Prime Minister Kishida &mdash; of course, he served as a foreign minister during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/shinzo-abe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Shinzo Abe&rsquo;s<\/a> administration, so he knows President Trump as well, so he asked for some advice,&rdquo; the official said.<\/p>\n<p>The prime minister also &ldquo;got some feedback of the meeting between President Trump and the widow of Shinzo Abe since she was [previously] invited to Mar-a-Lago.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s a crucial moment for U.S. allies to solidify friendly relations with the White House as Trump wields the threat of tariffs and sanctions to further his &ldquo;America First&rdquo; agenda.<\/p>\n<p>Abe, who was killed by an assassin in 2022 while giving a speech at a political event in Nara prefecture, was among Trump&rsquo;s closest allies during his first term.<\/p>\n<p>Trump eulogized Abe as a &ldquo;great man and leader,&rdquo; a &ldquo;unifier,&rdquo; and above all, a &ldquo;man who loved and cherished his magnificent country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The pair were a prominent example of Trump&rsquo;s appreciation for golf diplomacy &mdash; regularly photographed on the links and even posting smiling selfies together at Mobara Country Club outside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tokyo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Tokyo<\/a>. Since Abe&rsquo;s death, their relationship has taken on a life of its own, regularly turning into memes on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Ishiba is hoping to establish a similarly productive rapport with the president.<\/p>\n<p>A variety of problems remain unresolved between the U.S. and Japan, most prominently, Nippon Steel&rsquo;s attempt to acquire the Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel for $14.1 billion.<\/p>\n<p>Former President Joe Biden blocked the acquisition in the final weeks of his presidency, and Trump has reaffirmed the U.S. government&rsquo;s opposition to the deal, but the two companies are filing a lawsuit to force the sale through.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration has indicated to the press that it intends to discuss <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3313893\/trump-eyeing-japan-defense-spending-ahead-of-meeting-prime-minister-ishiba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">defense spending<\/a>, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies with Ishiba &mdash; as well as mutual investment arrangements. The Nippon Steel situation does not seem to be a pressing concern.<\/p>\n<p>The total denuclearization of North Korea also remains a key strategic goal for Japanese defense. Trump is the only U.S. president to set foot in the rogue nation after a love-hate relationship with Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.<\/p>\n<p>While there is no intention to pressure Trump into playing point man for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-korea\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">North Korean<\/a> relations, Japanese officials hope his return will aid their efforts to establish a direct line of communication with the country, which regularly test-launches intercontinental ballistic missiles around the Japanese islands.<\/p>\n<p>The only prominent leader in Japan who has seen continuity from Trump&rsquo;s first administration into his second is Emperor Naruhito, who hosted the president in 2019.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Trump was the first world leader to meet with him after his ascension to the throne and described the occasion as a &ldquo;great honor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, the imperial family is constitutionally defined as a mere &ldquo;symbol&rdquo; of the Japanese state and is legally forbidden from taking an active role in national politics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1927846\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1927846\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Japanese PM consulted Abe&#8217;s widow before meeting Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2400298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP25037845440990.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[50010,50015,3634],"class_list":["post-2400297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ishiba","tag-personal-relationship","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP25037845440990.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2400297"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2400301,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2400297\/revisions\/2400301"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2400298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2400297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2400297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2400297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}