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Maria Siow

United States president-elect Donald Trump’s meeting with the widow of a former Japanese leader while seemingly snubbing Shigeru Ishiba could be a bid to “humiliate” the current prime minister, raising anxieties of tensions between both countries.
Analysts also say Trump’s meeting with Akie Abe, wife of slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is aimed at sending a “message” to Ishiba to maintain good relations with the US.
Trump on Sunday reportedly met Abe at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, hosting a private dinner with his guest and wife Melania.
“It was a privilege to host Mrs Akie Abe at Mar-a-Lago once again,” Melania said on X, posting a photo of the three of them.

It was a privilege to host Mrs. Akie Abe at Mar-a-Lago once again. We fondly remembered her late husband, former Prime Minister Abe, and honored his remarkable legacy. pic.twitter.com/lEtMPTsuDt
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) December 16, 2024

“We fondly remembered her late husband, former Prime Minister Abe, and honoured his remarkable legacy,” she added, referring to the former Japanese leader who was assassinated in 2022 during a campaign speech.
Japanese media described the dinner as the first known meeting between Trump and a Japanese national following his victory in last month’s presidential election, raising concerns that it had taken place before Trump’s meeting with Ishiba.
Despite putting in a number of requests, Ishiba had not been able to meet the returning US president, with Trump’s team saying no meetings with foreign leaders would take place before his January inauguration.
Yet in recent weeks, Trump has met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Jeff Kingston, professor of history and Asian studies at Japan’s Temple University, said that by brushing off repeated requests for a meeting, Trump had “humiliated” Ishiba.


Kingston noted that Trump’s actions often contradict his words. He said Trump had not only met other foreign leaders but also invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration.
“[This had] revived Japanese anxieties about a G2”, he said, referring to the unofficial grouping comprising the US and China, a concept popular in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, but dismissed by Beijing.
Apart from hosting Akie, Trump also met billionaire Japanese entrepreneur Masayoshi Son on Monday. During the meeting, the SoftBank Group CEO pledged to invest US$100 billion—twice the amount pledged to Trump in 2016, according to Kingston—in the US over the next four years.
In a joint appearance with Son, Trump said the investment would create 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence and related infrastructure.

“It is hard not to draw the conclusion that Trump sees Ishiba as a loser, so when they do meet the pressure will be high on Ishiba to win over his erratic, transactional counterpart.”
“[Ishiba] will thus negotiate from a position of weakness with a man who relishes taking advantage of vulnerabilities,” Kingston said, adding that Abe knew of Trump’s passion for golf and previously presented him with a golden driver worth US$3,755.
“So maybe Ishiba should be searching for an Arnold Palmer-sized golden putter”, Kingston said, referring to the late American professional golfer widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport’s history.

Masato Kamikubo, a professor at the Graduate School of Policy Science at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University, said that Trump’s meeting with Akie is aimed at sending a “message” to Ishiba to maintain good US relations, similar to Abe’s investments and purchases of American goods
“Trump is unlikely to meet with Prime Minister Ishiba before he takes office. This is Trump’s bargaining chip with Japan”.
“By deliberately drawing a distinction between Abe’s widow and Prime Minister Ishiba, Trump is demanding that Ishiba be subservient to him in the same way as Abe,” Kamikubo said.
Unlike Abe’s administration, Kamikubo noted that the current Japanese government has to deal with conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and a weaker Japanese economy, making it harder to “buy American”.
“It is quite possible that Japan will become less important to Trump than it was four years ago,” Kamikubo said, adding that when it comes to taking on a greater security burden in Asia, there will be agreement in the Japanese Diet to accept Trump’s demands.

Kazuto Suzuki, a professor of international political economy at the University of Tokyo, said the meeting with Akie stems from Trump’s strong emphasis on family ties, and “part of his demonstration of respect for the late Abe”, he said, adding that Ishiba will eventually meet Trump, noting that Trump’s decision to meet Trudeau and Zelensky was meant to address urgent issues.
Late last month, Trudeau met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate as tensions rose over Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canadian imports, which could strain trade relations.
Zelensky met with Trump in Paris earlier this month to seek support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia.
Suzuki said Trump needed to meet with the Ukrainian leader to decide the extent of his support for Kyiv.
“Trump’s unwillingness to meet Ishiba is because Trump does not see any problem with Japan at this moment”, Suzuki said, adding that “there is nothing to worry about”.


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US president-elect Donald Trump (left) is seen with Akie Abe, wife of slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and former first lady, Melania Trump. Photo: X/MELANIATRUMP

SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son smiles with president-elect Donald Trump during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, on December 16. Photo: AP

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Donald Trump. Photo: Instagram/realdonaldtrump

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Photo: Kyodo

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Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, known as Keidanren. Photo: Kyodo

US president-elect Donald Trump has said he will hit China, Mexico and Canada with new tariffs. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

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Akie Abe (centre) pictured with Donald and Melania Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday. Photo:X/MelaniaTrump

US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania stand with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie during a visit to Japan in May 2019. Photo: Reuters

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Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Photo: Pool via Xinhua

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shakes hands with US President Donald Trump during their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on February 10, 2017. Photo: Reuters

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Analysts believe the meeting, held before a scheduled meeting with current Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, could be a tactic to pressure him to uphold ties with the US


Analysts believe the meeting, held before a scheduled meeting with current Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, could be a tactic to pressure him to uphold ties with the US.
