PM Abe Confides in President-elect Trump

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe flew to New York November 17 for a tête‐à‐tête with  the US President-elect Donal Trump. Abe was the first foreign leader Trump after his election to the presidency.

Commenting on his meeting with President-elect Trump at Trump Tower, New York, Abe said he had frankly confided in Trump in the meeting, adding:

"We had a meeting towards cementing mutual confidence."

He declined to comment on the contents of the meeting as it was an informal one and President-elect has not yet assumed his office, adding:

"I confined myself only to explain my fundamental positions. Both agreed to meet occasionally henceforth to further discuss matters on broader subjects."

Commenting on the Japan-US Alliance to which Trump had referred to during his presidential campaign, Abe said:

"No alliance can work without mutual trust. I have found Mr. Trump to be a trustworthy leader."

Now, they have met; so, what now? Few had read the course of events right during the US presidential election. In fact, for whatever reasons, Abe opted to meet only Hillary Clinton and skipped meeting Donald Trump when he was on a visit there in the last round of the presidential campaign.

It was a shame. Did he make any reference to his "miscalculation" in one way or another during the tête‐à‐tête? How did Trump react to that?

The dress was buttoned up incorrectly to start with. How to rebutton it in a way mutually beneficial is the immediate question to unriddle. 

A fundamental question awaits Japan: its national security in the light of  upcoming shifts in the US foreign policy. Opinions are clearly divided in Japan over the issues of national defense and constitutional amendment.

Japan is geophysically rocked with incessant earthquakes. Now, she is geopolitically being shaken up. I say ask once again: So what now? (Nathan Shiga)