Within days of Donald Trump winning the White House in 2016, Shinzo Abe, then prime minister of Japan, visited Trump Tower to meet the president-elect.
Like one of the Three Wise Men, he came bearing the gift of gold. In this case, gold golf clubs.
Thus began a relationship that became the envy of many world leaders, who would seek Abe’s counsel on how to work with Trump. Why was Abe so successful?
First, he used flattery. Before their first official meeting, after Trump’s inauguration, Abe sought the advice of several psychological experts on how to talk to Trump. Their instructions? Don’t disagree with him.
Praising Trump in their many meetings thus became a key theme. And Abe apparently took other steps to puff up Trump. For instance, Trump said that Abe nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, although Abe was coy about it.
He used their mutual love of golf to bond. Many guessed that Abe was fine with routinely losing to Trump on the links. There is even an amusing video of Abe falling into a bunker as Trump walks away, unaware of Abe’s predicament.
With elaborate presentations in tow, Abe would showcase to Trump how much Japanese firms were investing in the U.S. He was sure to highlight Japanese investments in red states like Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. This delighted Trump.
Abe, like all world leaders, had a big ego. It was remarkable that he was willing to put it aside.
Which leads to the second point. Abe had a strategic vision that had big goals, in which the support of the U.S. was key. He was a realist: The U.S. is Japan’s key ally.
Japanese are fond of saying that they live in a rough neighborhood, amid China, Russia and North Korea. Japan cannot protect itself on its own. It must be on Team USA.
Abe’s main concern was the growing threat that China posed to Japan. He bristled at the notion that Japan was being relegated to a second-tier power, overshadowed by China. And China’s persistent pressure on Japan over islands in the East China Sea awakened the national consciousness of the Japanese.
It was Abe who created the concept of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific to bring together maritime democracies to check China. He knew that as long as the region was defined as East Asia, China would dominate it. But by redefining it as the Indo-Pacific, suddenly India became a counterweight to China.
Abe pitched that idea to Trump, and Trump ran with it. Today, President Biden’s administration has continued to promote that same overarching framework. Now, other major world powers use the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific to describe their strategic goals for the region.
Abe also first conceptualized the Quad — a grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. — as a response to China. And he later helped revive it after years of languishing.
Trump followed Abe’s advice, and the U.S. reengaged with the Quad. The Biden administration has elevated its importance even more. Abe would not have accomplished these major strategic goals if he had been constantly bickering with Trump.
Finally, Japanese voters expect their prime minister to work well with whoever occupies the White House. It’s part of the job description of being Japan’s leader, because the U.S.-Japan relationship is so important.
As an example, Yukio Hatoyama became prime minister in 2009. He tried to convince the Japanese public to downgrade the U.S.-Japan security relationship and boost the relationship with China. Neither the Japanese public nor the White House, which was shocked, fancied that idea. In less than nine months, Hatoyama was a former prime minister.
So, Abe had a strong domestic political incentive to work with Trump, probably unlike the domestic politics of many European leaders, whose constituencies distrust Trump.
It’s certainly not that the Japanese public adores Trump. But they are more pragmatic than some of their foreign counterparts.
Abe’s recipe for success was a willingness to flatter Trump, focus on his own strategic goals and meet the expectations of his citizens. In 2022, of course, Abe was tragically killed by an assassin. But the legacy of Abe — the Wise Man from Japan — lives on.
David Boling works at the political risk consultancy Eurasia Group as director of Japan and Asian Trade.
