WP Columnist: "Abe Discouraged Trump's Withdrawal of US Forces from South Korea"

Ignatius "Understands Japan's Security Depends on Relationship with the US"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] There are claims that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discouraged U.S. President Donald Trump from withdrawing U.S. Forces Korea.

David Ignatius, a columnist for the Washington Post (WP), wrote on the 30th (local time) in a column titled "Abe was a better ally than we thought" that "Prime Minister Abe was able to dissuade President Trump from withdrawing U.S. Forces Korea." However, he did not disclose the specific details.

Ignatius described Prime Minister Abe as "probably the most successful leader in the world at managing President Trump's capricious behavior," adding, "He understood that Japan's security depended on maintaining good relations with the U.S. government regardless of who was in power in the United States." He also said, "He cleverly persuaded Trump for reasonable policies that benefited both Japan and the U.S."

According to Ignatius, President Trump would launch into long speeches about Japan's trade surplus and the fact that Japan did not fully bear the costs of hosting U.S. forces in Japan whenever he met with Prime Minister Abe.

In response, Prime Minister Abe reminded President Trump how much more it would cost the U.S. to defend the Pacific without bases in Japan, while also expressing gratitude for the young Americans risking their lives to protect Japan. Ultimately, Ignatius reported, President Trump stopped his long speeches and agreed to Abe's requests.

Ignatius added, "Prime Minister Abe had to endure painful remarks about Japan's past to maintain his friendship with Trump," and "After the Singapore North Korea-U.S. summit, he even had to accept a request to nominate President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.