Location Instability… No Golf for 10 Years
‘Fighter Spirit’ Might Surprisingly Work
In 2016, Abe Won Favor with a Golden Golf Club Gift
The call between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was reportedly just five minutes long, causing concern in Japan. Ishiba plans to establish a relationship with Trump through an early meeting, similar to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who developed a “bromance” with Trump by playing golf together five times. However, it is uncertain if Ishiba will be able to build a strong rapport with Trump in the same way.
On the 10th, TBS and Sankei Shimbun reported on Ishiba’s future diplomatic strategy, noting that although Ishiba was a member of the golf club in high school, he currently doesn’t play golf. Therefore, the likelihood of employing “golf diplomacy” to win Trump’s favor is low. In 2016, Abe learned of Trump’s passion for golf and visited him with a gold-plated Honma golf club worth approximately 10 million yen just nine days after the election, which helped cement their strong relationship.
Ishiba’s possibility of using golf diplomacy seems slim. When asked about it during his campaign for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency in 2018, Ishiba stated that the important thing is to make the other party think he is approaching with a determination for national interest. He also mentioned he hadn’t played golf for ten years. According to Jiji Press, Ishiba prefers to propose ideals and engage in thorough discussions, while Trump values practicality, highlighting their contrasting personalities. Ishiba’s unstable domestic political situation might also impede his focus on U.S. diplomacy. Although he is likely to be re-elected as Prime Minister in the special Diet session on the 11th following the House of Representatives election, his unstable standing within the party due to election defeat responsibilities poses a challenge.
However, the possibility of Ishiba’s ‘fighter’ spirit being successful is also mentioned. Satoru Mori, a professor at Keio University, told Asahi Shimbun that Ishiba’s rise to Prime Minister despite being a non-mainstream candidate could make a good impression on Trump.