Donald Trump. And now that we've got your attention ...
"Abe loathes Trump!" screamed the Page One headline in Nikkan Gendai on March 7. And indeed in the Japanese media, "The Donald" — who has harshly bashed Japan over such issues as trade and defense — has fast been emerging as the man they love to hate.
The first magazine article to appear this year with a Trump-related story was in the February issue of Sapio, which went on sale Jan. 4. Titled "How would a 'President Trump' deal with Japan?" former Yomiuri Shimbun journalist Tatou Takahama wrote that Trump has been masterfully exploiting Americans' annoyance over their country's decline as a superpower. And self-funding his campaign makes it possible for him to ride the wave of populism.