In dealing with Donald Trump, Prime Minister Abe knows that the personal relationship will be paramount. His decision to meet with Trump as quickly as possible after the election will help to build trust. Importantly, Abe did not allow frustration with Trump's views on the Trans-Pacific Partnership to create an early obstacle to good communications, and he capitalized on an early opportunity to find common ground on China. Trump's better relationship with Russia's Putin allows Abe to improve Japanese-Russian commercial and political ties—and make progress on the future of the Northern Territories.
Abe can encourage Trump to trust the values that bind the two countries. Trump takes a transactional approach to dealing with others: “Do this for me, and I'll do that for you.” China's rise ensures that US-Japanese security ties are as important as ever. But shared respect for democracy, rule of law, and open markets brings the two countries together in ways that non-democracies can't match. Beyond relations between leaders, long-term partnerships among democracies is built on institutional cooperation that depends on common values. That's something Abe can help Trump understand.
Abe can also help Trump see the value of continued US investment in multilateral organizations like the United Nations, the IMF, and the World Bank. A bottom-line businessman like Trump might be cynical about these kinds of institutions, but these are organizations that help the US and Japan work closely together.
In addition, Abe is wise to continue to diversify Japan's commercial and political relationships across East and Southeast Asia. In particular, a commitment to deepen political, security, trade and investment ties with India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines will serve Japan well in years to come.
Finally, there is something Japan can learn from Trump. The US president-elect has built an iconic brand recognized around the world. The product itself is sometimes of poor quality, but the branding is “state of the art.” Japan is a world leader in investment in infrastructure, promotion of stability, provision of humanitarian aid, and especially in technological innovation. Abe can do a more effective job of marketing these strengths on the world stage under a new “Brand Japan.” In particular, the world should see the many valuable things Japan has to offer that China can't match.
This piece was originally published in Reuters.com's Japanese edition.
