Overall, the meeting seems to went very well. The President has left some pretty positive comments about the PM of Japan on Twitter. The President even wrote "Prime Minister Shinzō"! That seemed to attract some attention. Some replied to that tweet, asking whether or not he was aware that it was "Prime Minister Abe" as "Shinzō" is his first name, and "Abe" is his last name. I want to think that President Trump wanted imply their close relationship. I actually have no idea what American people think or feel about the U.S.-Japan relationship, but I am interested in this relationship. Which means... I am going to do another Mini Report!
I read articles from The Huffington Post, Time, and The New York Times.
First, the article from The Huffington Post doesn't actually talk about the meeting itself (e.g., what was talked about, the future view of the U.S.-Japan alliance, etc.). I mean, look at that. The article is even categorized as comedy! The article writes about the handshake between the two, the PM of Japan, and the President of the United States. Ok, so for those of you who are not familiar with Japanese, here is a supplementary explanation. If you watch the video, you can witness the "awkward" handshake. You can hear the sound of cameras, and a foreign language in male voices, which is Japanese. The voices is asking the two to look at the cameras. President Trump asks Prime Minister Abe, "What are they saying?" because he doesn't understand Japanese. PM Abe answers, "Please, look at me." Well, he should've said, "They are telling us to look at them (= cameras)," instead. He meant to say, "They are saying, 'Look at me (the press),'" but you know, that was kind of misleading. I want to think that the President kept holing hands for the press; they were taking pictures of them holding each other's hands. But I don't know. Watch the video clip attached at the end of the article. I mean, look at that handshake!
About the other articles... Time writes PM Abe's flattery paid off. I agree. I don't think the word "flattery" is inappropriate. I have not heard anything related to TPP from the two, though. But other than that, the PM has always showed how Japan was willing to work with the United States, and that made the President like him very much. The President has made harsh comments on Japan, and many people in Japan has expressed concerns towards our future relationship. I'm sure at this time, those people are relieved to hear those public statements from the President.
So, you can watch a video clip on their public statements if you go click the URL to the article from The New York Times. The PM do not hesitate to say, "The United States is the champion of democracy." And said the fact that the President was elected through the tough campaign even though he has no experience in politics, is "the dynamism of democracy." Then he continued to congratulate the President's inauguration. The video is cut off right in the middle of the PM's speech, but you can hear the PM says the U.S. is filled with chances and opportunities. Wow, that was a lot of positive comments! The democracy elected the most unpopular President in the U.S. history??? Ok, so he may not be the most unpopular President (I have to looked at the numbers...), but all the protests make me wonder. And, lots of chances and opportunities... Perhaps he is talking about the American Dream...? I never want to say that there's no dream or chance or whatever you call it in the U.S. But what President Trump says makes me worried. You know, the wall, Muslim Ban, and all... America is being exclusive, and I don't feel that is the sign of a lot of chances and dreams.
I have been to the United States, and I have lots of friends there. I love that country. And I am happy to hear that the two is getting alone very well, and to think that the two countries will build a good relationship. But I am also worried. I hope other countries don't associate Japan with exclusiveness. I hope other countries think Japan also agrees with the wall, and the Muslim Ban, etc. The PM actually refrained from giving a comment on Muslim Ban the other day, which you can read about in my older post. I value the U.S.-Japan alliance, but I also really hope that this alliance does not make Japan alone in the international community.
References:
- Strachan, M. (2017, February 10). So, Trump's Handshake With The Japanese Prime Minister Got ... - The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-handshake_us_589e1a10e4b094a129eafc3c
- Miller, Z. J. (2017, February 11). Japan's Prime Minister Showed the Way to Trump's Heart. - Time. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from http://time.com/4667744/donald-trump-shinzo-abe-flattery/?xid=homepage
- Davis, J. H., & Baker, P. (2017, February 10). In Welcoming Shinzo Abe, Trump Affirms U.S. Commitment to Defending Japan. - The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/world/asia/trump-shinzo-abe-meeting.html?_r=1
No comments:
Post a Comment