Ten days after his election shocked the world, U.S. President Donald Trump was tickled that a major world leader rushed to his gilded Manhattan tower. For Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, it seemed a home run. Being the first to congratulate Trump would give Tokyo a privileged place in the geopolitical pecking order. For Trump, it was public relations gold as Abe gushed about America's new "trustworthy leader."
Fast forward 78 days, and the Trump-Abe bromance looks shaky. Shortly after the Nov. 17 Trump Tower visit, Trump pulled the rug out from under Abe's reform drive by killing the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Next, Trump slammed Japan Inc. icon Toyota in a Twitter rant. Now, he seems to be accusing Tokyo of being every bit the currency manipulator as Beijing. As Beijing and Tokyo devalue, Trump says, "we sit there like a bunch of dummies."
Is the Trump-Abe alliance doomed? While it's early days, it's time to challenge the conventional wisdom that Trump and Abe will build the "trustworthy" relationship Japan craves.