Japanese Media Call for Stronger Alliances, More Diverse Diplomacy After Trump's Crushing Defeat [U.S. Midterm Elections]

【Financial News, Tokyo = Correspondent Seo Hye-jin】After Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in the U.S. midterm elections, major Japanese media outlets called for preparations for changes in President Donald Trump's foreign policy. There are concerns that, facing stronger congressional checks, Trump may rush for results and pursue deals that exclude allies. Sankei Shimbun stressed the need to maintain the deterrent power of the U.S.-Japan Alliance, while Asahi Shimbun emphasized diversifying diplomacy through cooperation with South Korea, Europe and others.

In an editorial dated the 5th on the U.S. midterm elections, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun focused on the possibility that Trump may seek a diplomatic breakthrough to overcome domestic difficulties. The analysis said that presidents have considerable discretion in foreign affairs, and that a reelected president with two years left in office also has an incentive to leave a legacy.
Nikkei saw this as one reason why a U.S.-China-Russia summit and a North Korea-U.S. summit are being discussed. It stressed, however, that Trump should not set allies aside and pursue easy deals with China, Russia and North Korea in search of results.
In an editorial the same day, the Yomiuri Shimbun also warned that Trump, whose domestic base has weakened, could be vulnerable to pressure from authoritarian leaders. It urged him not to endanger the world by launching reckless offensives or leaning toward easy compromises, even though the president has considerable discretion in foreign affairs.
Sankei Shimbun also spelled out the risks to Japan's security in an editorial. It noted that Trump's attention could shift from domestic affairs to diplomacy, defense and trade, and said it was important to watch whether a U.S.-China-Russia summit would be held alongside this month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China in mid-month.
It also drew a line on negotiations between North Korea and the United States. An agreement to accept North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities or drastically reduce U.S. forces in South Korea, it said, could not be called a political legacy. It warned against one-sided agreements favoring North Korea, saying that allowing the issue of Japanese abductees to be left unaddressed was also unacceptable.

As a Japanese response to these risks, Sankei put communication with the United States first. It said Prime Minister TAKAICHI Sanae and the Japanese government faced a critical juncture and urged them to communicate closely with Trump and the U.S. administration. It argued that the deterrent and response capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance should be maintained to deter contingencies involving Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula.
The Asahi Shimbun stressed the need to broaden diplomatic options while maintaining the alliance. In an editorial the previous day titled “Japan's Diplomacy Should Diversify,” it said the U.S.-Japan Alliance was a key pillar of security, but that valuing the alliance was different from following the Trump administration.
The Asahi was also concerned that Trump might rush into deals favorable to China and Russia or seek to improve relations with North Korea. It stressed that Ukraine's sovereignty, peace in the Taiwan Strait and the security of allies must not be sacrificed in the process.
It urged Japan not to focus solely on its relations with the United States. Japan should strengthen cooperation with South Korea, Canada, Europe and others, while also expanding dialogue with Southeast Asia and the Global South (emerging and developing countries). It called for an independent foreign policy that maintains the basis for cooperation with the United States while objecting to unreasonable demands and clearly opposing violations of international law.

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