WASHINGTON – Former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso, a senior figure in the country’s ruling party, met Donald Trump on April 23, becoming the latest US ally seeking to establish ties with the Republican presidential candidate.
The 83-year-old Aso, who is now vice-president of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, entered Trump Tower in Manhattan on the evening of April 23 and had a meeting with the former US president for about an hour.
“He’s a highly respected man in Japan and beyond and somebody that I’ve liked and I’ve known through our very dear friend Shinzo,” Trump said as he escorted Mr Aso into the building, referring to the late former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Trump is in New York to attend a criminal trial in which prosecutors allege that he falsified business records to cover up a US$130,000 (S$177,000) payment to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels, who says they had a sexual encounter 10 years earlier, so as not to hurt his chances in the 2016 election.
Mr Aso was deputy prime minister under Mr Abe, who formed a close bond with Trump during his presidency. A long-time power broker in Japanese politics, Mr Aso has decades of experience shaping US-Japan ties.
Japan has been trying to connect with people close to Trump ahead of the Nov 5 US presidential election, reflecting concerns that if he wins, he could resurrect protectionist trade measures or take other steps that could hurt the Japanese economy or impact strong defence ties with the US.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told a news conference on April 23 that Mr Aso’s US visit was “a personal activity” of a lawmaker and “the government is not involved”, when asked about the diplomatic implications of Mr Aso meeting Trump.
The Trump-Aso meeting occurred about two weeks after US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled plans for military cooperation and an array of projects aimed at strengthening the US-Japan alliance.
The meeting marks the latest effort by a foreign country to shore up ties with Trump as polls show an extremely close rematch between him and Mr Biden. REUTERS
