Ishiba curries favor with Trump on economic front

After happily giving Ishiba a photo book of the attempted assassination as a gift, …

Japan received a useless photo book after presenting Trump with a golden samurai helmet priced at 168,000 yen. What an enormous waste of our Japanese taxes!

According to the Reagan Library …

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Foreign official gifts over a “minimal value” are considered gifts to the people of the United States, which the recipient must purchase from the General Services Administration at fair market value in order to retain. The White House Gift Unit sees to the disposition of foreign official gifts that the President and First Lady do not retain.

Most foreign official gifts which the President and First Lady do not retain for themselves are transferred to the National Archives by the Gift Unit, and become part of a presidential library museum collection.

Not surprising. Both are on the same economic page, ie, "new capitalism."

Both want to dismantle the old globalization-loving, neo-liberal free-trade system. In Japan's case, it was espoused by Kisida, prompted mostly by the fear of widening inequality and a desire to redistribute the nation's wealth. In Trump's case, it's mostly fear of China, including the illict fentanyl percursor imports. Interesting times.

He's going to invest that much? Is he speaking for Japanese corporations or is he speaking on behalf of taxpayers? Why don't you invest in your own country that has enough problems of its own. Remind trump that Japan is the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury securities. Sounds like Ishiba got the short end of the stick. I imagine he's going to return to Japan like Chamberlain and declare that we have peace in our time.

After happily giving Ishiba a photo book of the attempted assassination as a gift, …

I can only imagine how appalled the Japanese public would have been if Ishiba had known of the assassination book beforehand and responded in kind with a similar photo book on Abe’s assassination.

But Trump’s supporters seem fine with his behavior — thinking he was divinely saved while Abe apparently wasn’t.

What an odd lot they are.

Yes, looks like plain sailing. But Japan should really spend beyond 2% on defense for its own good, given the aggressiveness shown by China, which has the strong intention and ability to create trouble along the entire First Island Chain, starting with Taiwan, the Senkakus and the Ryuchiu Islands, not to mention N Korea and Russia are big troublemakers too.

Where's the money going to come from for this investment? More taxes and inflation for everyone here.

.The 2024 numbers are not yet available but in 2023 Canada was quickly catching up as the largest investor in the US - just $10bn behind that year and just $30bn behind cumulatively. No wonder Trump insisted on the Nippon Steel money. On which there are two questions: One, had the Nippon Steel investment been signed off before Ishiba got on the plane? I certainly saw nothing about it in the local media beforehand and the rabbit seemed to have been pulled out of the bag suspiciously quickly. And two, what exactly are the befits to Nippon Steel (apart from warding off tariffs)?

befits = benefits