World

Donald Trump meets Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe as Ivanka sits in

Shinzo Abe met the president elect at Trump Tower in New York 
Shinzo Abe met the president elect at Trump Tower in New York  Shinzo Abe met the president elect at Trump Tower in New York 

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has become the first world leader to meet President-elect Donald Trump.

The pair met in Manhattan’s Trump Tower, exchanged golf gear as presents, and discussed the future of US-Japan relations, with Abe telling reporters he had “great confidence” in The Donald.

It was a pleasure to have Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stop by my home and begin a great friendship.


Several eyebrows were raised at the inclusion of daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who sat in on the meeting in the grandiose gold-leafed, cream-upholstered penthouse.

During the campaign Trump said places like Japan and South Korea should be paying more towards US military bases in their countries, but Japan already pays half the costs – some £1.6 billion a year.

He has even suggested they should get their own nukes rather than relying on ‘Merican deterrence – risking an atomic arms race in north east Asia.

Trump’s staunch opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) also caused a lot of nail-biting in Tokyo.

The president-elect says the 12-country deal would hurt American jobs, but it’s seen as crucial to the future of Japan’s economy, making it easier for the country to export goods.

Speaking after the meeting, Abe said: “I do believe that without confidence between the two nations (the) alliance would never function in the future.

“After the outcome of today’s discussion I am convinced Mr Trump is a leader in whom I can have great confidence.”