Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso met yesterday with former American President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.
This is the most recent case in which a representative of a US-allied country has established contact with the Republican presidential candidate.
Eighty-three-year-old Aso, who is currently the vice chairman of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, met with Trump in New York yesterday evening, and the meeting lasted about an hour.
“He’s a well-respected man in Japan and beyond — a man I like and met through our dear friend Shinzo,” Trump said, referring to the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Taro Aso was Shinzo Abe’s deputy prime minister, who had a close relationship with Trump during the Republican president’s administration. Aso has played an important role in Japanese politics for years and has a lot of experience when it comes to US-Japan relations, Reuters noted.
Japan is trying to reach out to people close to Trump ahead of the November 5 US presidential election and amid concerns that if he returns to the White House, Trump could introduce protectionist measures or take other actions that adversely affect the Japanese economy or US-Japan defense relations.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said at a press conference yesterday that Aso’s visit to the US was his personal initiative and that the Japanese government had nothing to do with him.
About two weeks ago, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced plans for military cooperation and a set of projects aimed at strengthening the US-Japan alliance.
