Trump Passes Over Japan's Ishiba... Dinner with Abe's Wife at US Mar-a-Lago

[Image source=Melania Yeo]

President-elect of the United States Donald Trump met with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife, Akie Abe, in Florida, USA, along with his wife Melania Trump. This meeting drew attention as it took place amid the failure to arrange an early meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President-elect Trump, which the Japanese government had been pushing for.

On the night of the 15th (local time), Melania posted a photo on her X (formerly Twitter) account with President-elect Trump and Akie Abe, writing, "It was an honor to welcome Akie Abe again in Mar-a-Lago." She added, "We commemorated her late husband, former Prime Minister Abe, and honored his great legacy."

Japanese media such as Yomiuri Shimbun speculated that the Trump couple likely had dinner with Akie Abe. Earlier, Akie Abe was spotted by the media upon arriving at Miami Airport in Florida, and it was reported that she would meet with the Trump couple the following afternoon. Kyodo News, citing CNN, explained, "Even after former Prime Minister Abe was shot and killed in July 2022, President-elect Trump had called Akie Abe to check on her well-being," and added, "This dinner was arranged privately without going through the governments of the two countries."

Former Prime Minister Abe visited the United States before President-elect Trump, who won the 2016 U.S. presidential election, took office, and they built a close relationship, including playing golf together. When former Prime Minister Abe announced his resignation in 2020, President-elect Trump called him, expressing his sadness over the resignation of his "closest friend," and Melania also spoke separately with Akie Abe.

Japanese media particularly focused on the fact that this meeting took place amid the failure of an early meeting between Prime Minister Ishiba and President-elect Trump. Prime Minister Ishiba had attempted to meet President-elect Trump on his way back from a South American tour last month, but it was reported that the Trump side conveyed to Japan that a meeting before inauguration was difficult.

However, President-elect Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the end of last month and visited France this month, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In Japan, there is analysis that the failure to arrange an early meeting between Prime Minister Ishiba and President-elect Trump inevitably dealt a political blow to Prime Minister Ishiba.