Leaders' arm's-length interactions signal obstacles for US-Japan ties

Lack of first-name intimacy with Ishiba unlike Trump's relationship with Abe

- Walter Sim

The fawning praise that the leaders of America and Japan showered upon each other at the White House during their first meeting on Feb 7 was hardly in step with the lack of first-name intimacy, reflecting a business-like approach that might hamper their envisioned "new golden age" of bilateral ties.

US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba did not call each other by their first names, much unlike how "Donald" referred to "Shinzo" (the late former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe) or how "Joe" (former US president Joe Biden) and "Fumio" (former premier Fumio Kishida) addressed each other.

Instead, they called each other "President Trump" and "Prime Minister Ishiba".

The use of first names, especially to the Japanese, is highly symbolic of a close, trusting relationship. That neither leader crossed that bridge this time reflects an arm's-length approach that could portend obstacles going forward.

Mr Trump reminisced about Mr Abe during the 35-minute joint news conference with Mr Ishiba mentioning the former leader five times, including twice as just "Shinzo".

"Trump met the Japanese Prime Minister, who just happens to be Ishiba," Dr Satoru Nagao, a non-resident fellow of the Hudson Institute think-tank, told The Sunday Times. "Japan as a country is important to Trump's foreign policy, but not so much whoever is in charge." One hurdle may come soon, despite the many banner outcomes of the make-or-break summit, for which Mr Ishiba made a whirlwind 24-hour stop in Washington.

He won no promises from Mr Trump that Japan, which had a US$68.5 billion (S$92.8 billion) trade surplus with the US in 2024, would be exempt from tariffs.