Sanae’s Version of Charming Diplomacy

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi came back to Tokyo on March 21st from her meeting with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, at Washington, D.C. While she achieved a reputation that she suffered no major harm in the summit meeting, Takaichi exposed her unique style of diplomacy, which had not been seen in her predecessors. Although Japan made no significant progress in bilateral relationship with the U.S. in the meeting, she was successful in impressing that “charm” could build something in diplomacy with a figure of uncertainty.

A video footage of Takaichi’s arrival at White House on March 19th was repeatedly broadcast in Japan. After getting off a car, Takaichi approached Trump, standing at the entrance, and hugged him with her arms tightly grabbed his right shoulder and left waist. It was something different from what the Japanese people thought a hugging to be. It was rather a tackling, explicitly performing a close relationship between the leaders of Japan and the U.S.

 

At the beginning of the meeting, Takaichi described that Trump would be only the leader for stability of the world, supposedly acknowledging U.S. military attacks on Venezuela and Iran. “Donald is the only person who can bring peace and prosperity across the world,” said Takaichi. For the Japanese people who had concern on devastations in Caracas, Tehran or Gaza, Takaichi’s remarks to Trump sounded as an embarrassing flattery.

 

Trump made a controversial joke in the meeting with Takaichi. Asked about why U.S. did not announce the first attack on Iran to Japan, Trump quoted an episode of 85 years ago. “Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK? Right?” said Trump.

 

New York Times depicted how Takaichi responded to Trump’s comment. “As Mr. Trump spoke, Ms. Takaichi widened her eyes and appeared to take a deep breath. She kept her arms crossed in her lap and did not speak,” wrote the paper. As far as watching the scene from the viewpoint of the Japanese, Takaichi simply could not realize what Trump had said and tried to listen to how the translator would interpret it, with no idea to reply to it.

 

There is a usual old joke that a Japanese would quibble with an American who said “Remember Pearl Harbor” by saying “No more Hiroshima.” Along with that context of conversation, Takaichi could at least respond to Trump with joking, such as “The United States, as a nuclear-lover, can accept nuclear waste in Japan.”

 

One thing Takaichi relied on was legacy of former prime minister, Shinzø Abe. In the dinner after the meeting at White House, Takaichi reminded the guests of her political mentor, raising her fist in the air and saying “Japan is back.” Abe referred to the words in his speech at Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. in 2013, in the context of that Japan would get rid of long-lasting deflation. It was unclear about Takaichi’s words from where Japan was coming back.

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