Opinion | Japan welcomes end of Trump era but has its doubts over Joe Biden-led US
- Former prime minister Abe’s close ties with Trump failed to get results as the president ran roughshod over Japan and the core of its diplomacy
- Tokyo will welcome renewed US engagement in Asia but is still hedging its bets, amid lingering questions about the Democratic Party and waning US influence
President-elect Joe Biden’s administration has a lot to prove but inherits a relatively strong US-Japan relationship. He will also find Japan is ready to move beyond US President Donald Trump’s “America first” transactional approach to diplomacy. One can imagine Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s quiet fist pump when he learned of Trump’s defeat.
Even so, scepticism lingers that Biden will seek rapprochement with China to the detriment of Japan, a concern former president Bill Clinton ignited a quarter-century ago when he visited China and bypassed Japan.
This underscores how symbolism matters in diplomacy and has implications for Biden’s choice of the next ambassador. Japan favours candidates who have strong political connections to the White House and know little about the nation because they are easier to manage.
01:56
Diaoyu-Senkaku islands spat deepens as Japan warns China over coastguard ships in East China Sea
