American voters in Japan remained divided on the day of the U.S. presidential election over who they believed should lead their country over the next four years — a reflection of the nation’s heightened political polarization.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump declared victory at his campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, shortly before 2:30 a.m. Eastern time, after major U.S. media projected him to win the 19 electoral votes belonging to Pennsylvania — one of the most strongly fought battleground states.
In his 25-minute speech, Trump called his win a “political victory” that the country “has never seen before,” and vowed to fight for a “strong, safe and prosperous America.”
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was not expected to make a speech on Election Night.
Before polls had closed, several Republican voters in Japan said they believed Trump’s strong leadership could address the problems they are most concerned about, such as illegal immigration and the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.
Lance Gatling, the chairman of Republicans Overseas Japan, described Trump as a “superb leader and manager,” and Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance as a “breath of fresh air.”
“Domestically, illegal immigration, crime, drugs and the overreach of the U.S. government to interfere in private affairs and states rights require urgent attention. Trump has clear policies to address them all,” Gatling wrote in an email, adding that Trump’s proposed financial policies, such as ending double taxation of U.S. citizens overseas, are very much welcomed.
“I believe that Americans demand changes from the many failed policies of the last four years and their basis in earlier Democrat administrations,” Gatling added.
Another Republican voter in Japan, a 31-year-old woman who identified herself only by her first name Hanna, said immigration and individual freedom are the two most important issues for her, and that she believes civil liberties such as free speech are being infringed upon in the U.S. under Democratic administrations.
“I feel as if Democrat politicians want to be the gatekeepers of what constitutes ‘hate speech’ and what U.S. citizens can and cannot say — ranging from opinions on vaccinations to LGBTQ-related topics and beyond,” she wrote in an email.
While The Japan Times could not find any public gatherings held by Republicans, Democrats Abroad Japan hosted watch parties in several cities across the nation.
Inside a British bar in the capital’s trendy Shimokitazawa district, around 50 people had gathered as of 10 a.m. in front of a TV screen showing news on the U.S. presidential election.
Sarajean Rossitto, a spokesperson for Democrats Abroad Japan, the organizer of the watch party, said enthusiasm was high among American voters in Japan during this election cycle.
But since different states and counties have different regulations on voting from abroad, a focus of the group was to educate and disseminate information to voters on how to register to vote and cast their ballots from overseas, regardless of their party affiliation.
“We do it in a number of different ways — people that are in the database that accept calls, we call them. We do stand out in Roppongi, we were at the craft beer festival in Shinjuku, in Omotesando,” Rossitto said, naming districts in Tokyo. “We try to register as many people and help them figure that out.”
Many at the party cited abortion rights, climate change, immigration and racial justice as their biggest policy issues.
“I think the next four years will be pivotal to whether we can reverse climate change. And we can’t have a president who doesn’t even believe in climate change,” said Nina Ichikawa, 46, who has lived in Japan for a total of five years. “I want my kids to be able to experience winter, (but) the statistics aren’t looking good.”
As a Japanese American, Ichikawa’s family was put in concentration camps during World War II, which is why she is sensitive about deporting people based on their race.
“We’ve already done that before. We’re not going to do it again,” she said.
Matthew Paden, 25, a voter at the party from Alabama, said Trump’s refusal to concede during the 2020 election was a deciding factor, as the state of American democracy is what he values the most.
“Trump tried literally to install himself as the unelected president of the United States in 2020,” he said. “If you attempt to be an authoritarian, I'm not going to vote for you.”
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