Japan’s new government Japan has overreached in its attempt to build friendly ties with Donald Trump as the US president is expected to arrive in Tokyo today for a three-day visit.
Trump is expected to be received by Emperor Naruhito at the start of his visit, with some 18,000 police officers drafted in to protect him.
According to the NHK network, Japan’s transport ministry plans to greet Trump with a demonstration of large American semi-trucks (known as pick-up trucks), an apparent reference to the US president’s complaint that Japan allows too few American-made cars to be imported.
NHK reported that the trucks are to be lined up at the venues where a summit will be held tomorrow with Japan’s new ultra-conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takayichi, who was elected by parliament on October 20.
According to NHK, Takayichi is now considering donating to Trump a golf club once used by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – along with gold leaf golf balls.
Takayichi is considered a protégé of Abe, who was assassinated in 2022. She holds the same nationalist and reformist views as him and is expected to benefit from Abe’s close friendship with Trump.
Trump, who visited Japan three times during his first term, often played golf with Abe and the two men had also attended sumo matches together.
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