Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on February 7th. In order to ensure a smooth summit, Ishiba took several measures to avoid disagreements and sensitive topics. He also changed his meandering speaking style.
Ishiba revealed these measures in a news program on February 9th. He explained that he refrained from arguing with Trump and avoided discussing the revision of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, a topic he has long championed.
Ishiba also admitted to changing his speaking style, which has been criticized for being rambling and taking a long time to get to the point. He recognized that a certain amount of time is needed to build trust between Japan and the United States.
Ishiba also revealed that he devised a way to express his concerns to Trump without directly confronting him. He explained that he would say things like, "Changing the status quo by force is not good, is it?" instead of directly stating the rule of law.
When asked if he addressed Trump's controversial remark about the United States "taking ownership of" Gaza, Ishiba indicated that the topic was not raised. He explained that discussing the topic would have led to a big debate and consumed the limited time available.
Ishiba also explained that notes were frequently handed to him during the meeting, urging him to move on to the next agenda item due to time constraints.