"The World and Japan" Database (Project Leader: TANAKA Akihiko)
Database of Japanese Politics and International Relations
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS); Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia (IASA), The University of Tokyo

[Title] Press Conference by Prime Minister Ishiba regarding His Thoughts upon U.S. President Trump Taking Office and Other Matters

[Place]
[Date] January 21, 2025
[Source] Prime Minister's Office of Japan
[Notes] Provisional translation
[Full text]

(On Prime Minister Ishiba's thoughts upon U.S. President Trump taking office, on how Prime Minister Ishiba will engage in bilateral partnership with the U.S. going forward, and on the state of affairs regarding a potential Japan-U.S. summit meeting)

I listened to President Trump's inaugural address. I think the phrase "Make America Great Again" sums his speech up nicely. The standard style for past U.S. presidents' inaugural addresses has been to talk of lofty ideals, whereas I felt very strongly that this was a case of what President Trump said during the election campaign flowing as is into his inaugural address. It was a declaration of national emergency, covering sending troops south to the border zone, energy policy changing, building up the strongest armed forces in the world, reviving manufacturing, changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to "the Gulf of America," regaining the Panama Canal, planting the Stars and Stripes on Mars, and so on. That was my impression.

Minister [for Foreign Affairs] Iwaya attended the inauguration and has been doing a lot of what we might call the groundwork necessary for me to visit the United States. As for the scheduling, we'll ultimately decide on a date that is convenient for both sides, and I don't think it will take much time to reach a decision on that. For me the Diet will be in session, so I will decide on the date by obtaining the understanding of the various political parties, in order to avoid impacting Diet deliberations.

I understand that President Trump prefers the technique of engaging in various bilateral consultations, so right now I believe that he will prioritize bilateral interactions over engagement through multilateral frameworks. With that being the case, Japan has its own national interests while the U.S. has its own national interests. I plan to engage in sincere discussions with President Trump centered on how we can leverage our bilateral relations to positively impact world peace and the global economy while making use of our national interests on both sides, and I plan to establish a relationship of trust with him.