Donald J. Trump, a political entertainer of the 21st century like no other, never failed to deliver over the past four years. Thanks to him, I have at least seven TV and radio appearances this week where I will be tasked with predicting who will be the eventual winner, whether it is the current president or Joe Biden, and what the election outcome may mean for Japan.
Due to my new appointment as a special adviser to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s Cabinet, I have every reason to decline making comments on who will win and which of the two will be better for Japan. I feel more comfortable now having been relieved of the burden of making difficult predictions this time around.
With such a weight lifted off my shoulders, I was able to sit back and enjoy listening to my fellow TV commentators give their takes on the Trump and Biden situation. What fascinated me most on Wednesday while I was on my favorite political talk show was that two seasoned Japanese journalists predicted and even defended a potential Trump victory, while a Japanese-speaking American journalist challenged them.