In the Rose Garden of the White House this month, President Trump held up a sign illustrating the global tariffs he intended to implement, pausing to reminisce about a deceased friend.
“The prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe — he was a remarkable individual,” Mr. Trump remarked during the tariff announcement on April 2. “He was, unfortunately, taken from us; assassination.”
Despite his commendations for Mr. Abe, who was shot three years ago during a rally, Mr. Trump proceeded to impose a 24 percent tariff on imports from Japan. Nonetheless, such praise was surprising coming from a president who has offered little positive feedback about other allies, particularly Canada and European nations.
Japan is set to be among the first nations invited to negotiate for a potential exemption from Mr. Trump’s extensive tariffs, many of which are currently on hold for a period of 90 days. A negotiator chosen by Japan’s current prime minister is expected to commence discussions in Washington with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials on Thursday.
Japan’s priority status underscores the unique stance Mr. Trump has adopted towards the country. While the president continues to criticize its trade practices and the disparity in their security partnership, he simultaneously acknowledges it as a close ally, a nation with a rich heritage, and a skilled negotiator.
“I love Japan,” Mr. Trump stated to reporters last month. “But we have a peculiar arrangement with Japan where we must protect them, yet they don’t have to protect us,” referencing the security treaty that grants a base to 50,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan.
Japan occupies a distinctive, albeit complicated, place in Mr. Trump’s perspective. Its rapid economic rise in the 1980s has influenced his current views on global trade and tariffs. Some analysts suggest that the president maintains a duality of admiration and criticism toward Japan, finding value in the flattery received from its recent leaders.
“Trump’s interactions with Japan may appear contradictory, yet they are remarkably consistent,” commented Glen S. Fukushima, a former U.S. trade official observing U.S.-Japan relations for over 40 years. “He admires Japan, which he perceives as astute in outsmarting the Americans.”
While the president announced a suspension of the most extensive tariffs following a market downturn, Japan still confronts a new 10 percent base tariff that Mr. Trump has implemented on most imports to the U.S. On Friday, the White House revised its conditions again, excluding smartphones, computers, semiconductors, and various electronics from tariffs. Nevertheless, higher levies on steel and aluminum remain, along with a 25 percent tariff on automobiles, potentially impacting Japan’s economy significantly.
Japan has reacted with feelings of betrayal and confusion over the tariffs, which have targeted both allies and adversaries. After unsuccessful diplomatic attempts to secure an exemption for Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, the current prime minister, labeled the tariffs a “national crisis.”
Simultaneously, Mr. Trump has afforded Japan more favorable treatment. When Mr. Ishiba sought to discuss a potential agreement to lower tariffs, Mr. Trump took the call.
“Spoke to the Japanese Prime Minister this morning. He is dispatching a top team to negotiate!” Mr. Trump posted Monday on his social media platform. In characteristic fashion, the president then swiftly shifted to a complaint regarding Japan’s trade practices, stating, “They don’t take our cars, but we take MILLIONS of theirs.”
While such inconsistency is typical of Mr. Trump’s unscripted manner, his divided view of Japan is rooted much deeper, harking back to his early days as a real estate developer in Manhattan. He often regarded Japan as both a crucial client for his properties and a source of funding for new ventures, while concurrently railing against the inequitable trade balance.
“America is being ripped off,” Mr. Trump asserted in a 1988 interview. “We’re a debtor nation, and we have to tax, we have to tariff, we have to protect this country.”
In 2016, such sentiments played a crucial role in his triumph among voters dissatisfied with globalization. Before Mr. Trump’s inauguration, Mr. Abe was the first global leader to meet with the president-elect at Trump Tower, lauding Mr. Trump’s election victory and presenting him with a gold-plated golf club. According to Shinsuke J. Sugiyama, who served as Japan’s ambassador to the U.S. during the first Trump administration, Mr. Trump never forgot this gesture.
“Abe took a risk by being the first world leader to visit him,” Mr. Sugiyama remarked. “This gave Trump a significantly different perception of Japan.”
Japan’s current prime minister has attempted to employ a similar strategy during the current Trump administration, though with mixed outcomes. Mr. Abe’s widow, Akie Abe, dined with Mr. Trump and Melania Trump in January at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
A month later, Mr. Ishiba became one of the first heads of state to visit Mr. Trump in the White House, emphasizing Japan’s substantial investments in American business and industry. He even referenced a July 2024 assassination attempt on Mr. Trump, telling the U.S. president, “You were one chosen by God.”
Mr. Ishiba secured priority access to Mr. Trump for his negotiator, a close political ally named Ryosei Akazawa, who will likely pledge to increase purchases of American food, arms, and energy. Mr. Ishiba aims to offer sufficient incentives to gain an exemption from Mr. Trump’s tariffs.
“By being the first to show deference, Abe enabled Trump to assert, ‘Look, Japan was mocking us, but now that I’m in charge, they come to pay their respects,’” remarked Jennifer M. Miller, a historian of U.S.-Japan relations at Dartmouth College. “Ishiba is hopeful that the previous strategy will still be effective.”
