Hong Kong - What's the difference in months.
In recent years, the United States and its long-time allies Japan and South Korea have been strengthening ties, both alone and as a tripartite partnership to deal with increasingly confident China and North Korea. But the latest political changes in these three countries have injected new uncertainty into their relationship.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces an improvisation trial for his attempt to announce weapons in December, and the country will have a clear leader for months. In Japan, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's scandal has performed poorly after his scandal-ridden Liberal Democrats in October's parliamentary elections.
In the United States, voters elected a president in November, who disregarded the alliance and preferred to deal with the country alone, and in his first term accused Japan and South Korea of committing "freedom religion" under the U.S. security umbrella.
Isbon will meet with Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, a major sign of how the new U.S. government will interact with two Asian democracies.
Like the United States, both countries are wary of China's rise, but also list it as their top trading partner. The challenge for Ishiba will be to sell Trump's security commitments in Asia as a matter of importance and avoid Trump's tariffs on China and threaten to impose on Canada and Mexico's allies.
Ishiba said he plans to "work to build a relationship of trust" during his visit with Trump.
“I hope we can confirm that Japan and the United States cooperate on issues such as economy and security, which will bring peace and allow for the development of the Indo-Pacific region that is not suitable for the free and open, but for the rest of the world, Japanese Leadership Week Four told reporters in Tokyo.
Ishiba is looking for a "neutral result" on the visit and is likely to be happy to be the second foreign leader to meet with Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, the second Israeli Prime Minister. Japan.
"He won't try to win any points or get any gifts from the United States," he said. "He knows nothing is available."
Ishiba may highlight Japan's role as the largest foreign investor in the United States - in December, the son of Masayoshi, head of Japanese technology conglomerate SoftBank, promised to invest $100 billion in the United States in the next four years.
Its largest steel maker, Nippon Steel, has tightened business relations with Japan by its $15 billion bid for Pittsburgh-based Nippon Steel, with former President Joe Biden on The month is based on national security issues. Trump also opposed the deal, which Japan Steel said did not give up.
Given that both countries are more concerned about Indo-Pacific security and counterattacks, it is unlikely that the lockdown deal will fundamentally change U.S.-Japan relations. China.
“That is, given the historical intimacy between the two countries, Japan is the history of the highest investor in the United States, the rejection of this deal is indeed sting, and the fact is that it has never been blocked on the national security field before, at least Not blocked from publication,” he said in an email.
Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Takahiro Mori said on Thursday that the company will closely monitor the Ishiba-Trump summit, which he hopes will be "a catalyst that will open the way for the future."
Kusk said Ishbon would “abstain” from raising the topic with Trump, especially as Japan Steel is suing the deal for blocking.
“There is no reason to bring it up,” Kutcher said. “He has no benefit from getting rid of it.”
Ishiba is unlikely to be with Trump and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022 and has a close personal relationship with Trump. Kusk said the current Japanese leader’s temperament is fundamentally different from that of Shinzo Abe, who won the president with a seductive offensive involving flattery and golf.
"Nevertheless, he simply likable from Shinzo Abe's script when dealing with Donald Trump," he said.
In South Korea, there are concerns that the country may lag behind the Trump administration due to political unrest after the short-lived martial arts order.
The Constitutional Court has a maximum of 180 days to decide whether Yoon's presidency should be removed after being impeached by lawmakers. If he is, then South Korea will have 60 days of presidential by-election.
Although Trump called shortly after the November election, he has not spoken to acting South Korean President Choi Sang-Mok.
"Trump doesn't actually interact directly with the acting president," said Jennifer Lee, principal of Washington Asia Group.
"So waiting for the highest level meeting for six months is certainly hurting the country, especially given the uncertainty of Trump administration's policies," she said.
However, there are other links, including last month’s call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his South Korean rival, cho tae-yul, as well as national security adviser Mike Waltz and Sik between his Korean counterparts.
One region where South Korea is eager to coordinate with the United States is North Korea, where leader Kim Jong-un has been advancing his nuclear and ballistic missile program and making hostile rhetoric against him against the United States, South Korea and others.
Trump said he planned to contact Kim Jong Il, who met three times in his first semester.
"There is a lot of anxiety, especially in the possible U.S.-North Korea dialogue," Lee said, who recently returned from a trip to South Korea.
Japan is also directly threatened by North Korea, with many potential challenges with South Korea in the new Trump administration.
Both countries have received thousands of U.S. troops, and both countries are under pressure during Trump's first term to bear more costs.
The tariffs were another potential issue before Trump announced a 25% tariff on Canadian allies and Mexico before it was put on hold at the last minute. South Korea, which has an economy that is highly dependent on exports, is seen as particularly vulnerable, with South Korean companies such as Hyundai, Samsung and LG exposed for their facilities in Mexico and China, and the United States did impose a 10% tariff on Tuesday.
Although South Korea and Japan will be affected if Trump imposes blanket tariffs on all U.S. imports when floating, both Lee and Kusk say there is no obvious reason to target them directly in Canada, Mexico and China. Play a role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
“There is nothing to provide an excuse for the use of tariffs now.”
Jennifer Jett reported from Hong Kong in Tokyo, Arata Yamamoto in Yamamoto and Stella Kim in Seoul, South Korea.