How Shinzo Abe Will Try to Size Up Donald Trump

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to hold separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and USA president-elect Donald Trump later this month, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who said on Monday that he was disappointed that the TPP would unlikely be passed by U.S. lawmakers, will be attending the summit’s Economic Leaders’ Meeting on Saturday and Sunday to discuss the future of free trade in Asia.

It will be Trump’s first meeting with a world leader since his election last week.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady on Tuesday said Republicans should defend free trade and the party should defend the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the new Congress.

During the campaign of the Republican Donald Trump, Japan, and South Korea were concerned by the rumors which supported U.S. troops withdrawal from the Asia-Pacific region.

Japanese officials are scrambling to figure out what his intentions are once he takes office in January.

The Republican from California said the meeting with Abe has been set at a time when Trump, who won the presidential election on November 8, is “very, very busy trying to put together his Cabinet and the people who are going to support him”.

Abe said the meeting renewed his conviction that he would be able to establish a relationship of confidence with Trump.

“That is why I told Prime Minister Abe that his meeting. with President-elect Donald Trump is very much awaited by all TPP countries”.

Mr Trump is expected to use the Abe meeting to reassure Japan and other Asian allies rattled by his campaign rhetoric, advisers to the President-elect said. They weren’t even sure who to call for answers.

American allies such as Japan and South Korea are anxious the Republican president-elect will cut back the U.S. military, economic and diplomatic presence in the region-leaving them exposed to a dominant China and belligerent North Korea.

The idea, which was mooted by the outgoing US President Barack Obama, will involve a free trade area covering about 40 per cent of the global economic power. He floated the idea of allowing Japan and others in the region nuclear weapons and forcing higher payments to support the deployment of USA forces in those countries. “I know the President-elect himself is very happy with how the transition is going”.

Tokyo spends about $1.8 billion a year to help defray the costs of USA troops based in Japan.

Accounting for almost a quarter of global gross domestic product, any pickup in the United States, the world’s largest economy, would help propel global GDP higher and lift millions more out of poverty in Asia.

Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, stated last week that she believed that the Japanese nation was paying enough for the United States forces stationed in the country.

Abe is promoting a deal where they would have two islands each, enabling Japan and Russian Federation to sign a peace treaty to officially end the war, local media have reported. Whether “Shinkasen” bullet-trains, 21-century logistics hubs and port facilities, smart & user friendly airports or hyper-efficient de-salination plants – Team Abe could easily make Trump look good by offering “Funded-by-Japan” but “Built-by-America” infrastructure projects.