[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] It has been revealed that the Japanese government spent over 40 million yen solely on hospitality expenses for then-U.S. President Donald Trump during his state visit to Japan under the Shinzo Abe administration.
According to the Asahi Shimbun on the 23rd, the Japanese government responded at the Cabinet meeting the previous day that the expenses incurred to welcome Trump as a state guest in May 2019 amounted to approximately 40.22 million yen (about 413 million KRW).
Trump visited Japan for a four-day schedule.
Abe often boasted of his personal friendship with Trump during his tenure, and the expenditure details reveal circumstances of lavish hospitality extended to Trump.
Notably, 2.06 million yen (about 21 million KRW) was paid for an unofficial dinner at a yakiniku restaurant specializing in charcoal-grilled meat located in Roppongi, Tokyo’s commercial district, where Abe and the Trump couple dined together.
This included costs for installing tents to prevent outsiders from seeing the dining area and laying out red carpets. The Japanese government rented the entire restaurant to avoid hosting other guests.
Asahi reported that Trump enjoyed beef and chicken skewers, and the dinner extended for an hour and a half beyond the scheduled time.
Both Abe and Trump are known golf enthusiasts, and 1.36 million yen (about 14 million KRW) was spent solely on golf expenses.
Other expenditure items included 12.4 million yen for facility operation and preparation costs for the summit and press conference, 7.32 million yen for accommodation, 5.76 million yen for vehicle rental, 3.78 million yen for preparations such as national flags, 2.46 million yen for photography, and 610,000 yen for interpretation and translation services.
The Japanese government stated regarding these expenses that they were "necessary to observe protocol and provide official hospitality" and that "it is appropriate to spend public funds" on them.
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