Japan First mindset key for Ishiba in dealing with Trump: president ex-adviser

Taking a "Japan First" mindset is vital for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to build meaningful ties with Donald Trump, according to a former policy adviser to the U.S. president, whose second term is likely to see alliances rattled and a return of protectionist policies.

"It doesn't help to have a Japanese prime minister who is going to kowtow to the president," Ado Machida, who was involved in the first Trump presidential transition and is now based in Tokyo, said in a recent interview, noting he has advised the Japanese government not to rush to arrange a summit with Trump.

Trump, who was inaugurated Monday, expects the prime minister to be "Japan First," just like how his American counterpart pursues an "America First" agenda, Machida said. "And that's how you have a meeting of minds."

"You want someone who's going to be strong and who's going to tell him the truth and who's going to give him objective truths," he said.

The Japanese American served as director of policy implementation in the first Trump transition team for about eight months through February 2017.

Machida views Ishiba as in a totally different situation compared with 2016 when Trump, then a real estate mogul with no experience of public office, was unexpectedly elected U.S. president.

Then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rushed to Trump Tower in New York less than two weeks after the election to meet with the president-elect and presented him with a golden golf club, paving the way for a strong relationship.

Ishiba initially sought to follow that playbook after Trump won the U.S. presidential election in November last year. But the idea was shelved, with a summit meeting now being eyed for the first half of February in the United States, according to government sources.

"I advised the Ishiba administration to not meet with President Trump early on. And why is that? Well, because this time around, President Trump knows what he wants from Japan," Machida said, citing issues such as a greater financial contribution by Tokyo to support U.S. troops stationed in the country and the dealing with countries' trade imbalance.

"If Prime Minister Ishiba is not prepared to respond in kind, it doesn't help, right? It's not a good, it's not a winning formula for a friendship or a relationship," he added.

The allies' ties may be tested during the second Trump presidency, amid concern Japan could be among the major U.S. trade partners slapped with higher tariffs, which he has threatened to impose to win concessions.

Noting that Trump looks at trade from "an American jobs perspective," Machida said the Japanese government and businesses must work together to highlight their investment in the United States over the years, how many jobs have been created, as well as future plans.

On the security front, Machida said he expects "quite tough" negotiations on Tokyo's financial contribution to support U.S. troops in Japan, with many Americans questioning the rationale of maintaining forces in countries such as Japan, South Korea and Germany.

The bilateral five-year agreement on the budget will expire in 2027. Trump, who in the past has called Japan a free rider on security, pressured the Asian ally to increase host-nation support during his first four-year term that ended in January 2021.

Japan may insist it is already paying the bulk of the costs for hosting U.S. troops, but more efforts are required to answer questions such as whether the public is prepared to fight to defend the country, Machida suggested.

"And if the answer is no, then the U.S. troops are nothing more than being a bodyguard. And if we're the bodyguard, then you should pay us not only 100 percent, you should pay us 200 percent of the cost of us being here," he said.

Describing Trump as "very interested in people," Machida said Ishiba's political career may be instrumental in sparking the U.S. president's curiosity.

The veteran 67-year-old lawmaker was long viewed as an outlier in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party before he won its leadership election last September on his fifth attempt.

Ishiba "ran four times, lost, but still kept coming back and running, and then finally became prime minister. To Trump, he's going to want to know, why did you do that, why were you so interested in becoming prime minister?" Machida said.

Machida acknowledged that the Trump-Abe rapport was established by spending time together, often playing golf, which built "a natural bond."

"Now, does that mean that Prime Minister Ishiba should bring out his golf clubs and brush up his golf game?" he said. "No, I don't think so. I think what's important is to figure out some way to spend more time with the president."

Machida is currently president of the Japanese subsidiary of Hard Rock International Inc, which operates cafes, hotels and casinos around the globe. He was also a domestic policy aide to Dick Cheney, who was vice president from 2001 to 2009 in the George W Bush administration.