PALM BEACH, Florida -- Japan has deemed the Feb. 10 summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington a success, as the two nations confirmed the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance and the United States did not make specific demands regarding economic cooperation. Yet some Japanese officials are warning that the reason Washington has agreed in most parts with Tokyo on security issues is that the United States is preparing to demand that Japan make compromises in bilateral trade and financial policies.
Prime Minister Abe spent a significant portion of his first meeting with Trump since the president was sworn in explaining, with data, how Japanese companies, including automakers, have built plants across the United States to manufacture products domestically and have helped create jobs. The Japanese government had been especially wary about Trump making specific demands in connection with the auto industry, but the president did not present any counterarguments to Abe's explanations.
According to sources present at the meeting, Abe led the conversation while Trump remained mostly a listener. Trump only made a few comments to show that he agreed with Abe. While the president appeared to be a little nervous at their joint news conference, a source said he seemed relaxed during the meeting.
At the same time, Japan did not know how the U.S. would approach the summit meeting until the very last minute, and it was only right before the meeting that the text of the joint statement was finalized. Officials in Washington had told Tokyo prior to the meeting that they did not know if they would be able to get the president's approval on the joint statement. In other words, Abe and his aides arrived in Washington not knowing what to expect from President Trump.
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