Former Japan envoy to U.S. calls for avoiding Trump's isolationist policies at G7
Former Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki has highlighted the importance of maintaining the Group of Seven framework, in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's reluctance on global cooperation.
Fujisaki was speaking in an interview ahead of a three-day G7 summit in Canada from Sunday, the first such meeting for Trump since he began his second term in January.
"The (G7) summit is like a regular medical checkup to assess whether the global democracy and market economy systems are functioning properly, so maintaining this framework is paramount," said Fujisaki, currently head of the America-Japan Society.
As the Trump administration does not respect multilateralism, Fujisaki warned that the president may start saying that his country will no longer participate in the G7 summit.
"Japan and European members (of the G7) should avoid teaming up and making Trump feel isolated," the former ambassador stressed.
Asked how the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba should develop ties with the U.S. side, Fujisaki pointed out that Trump is strongly committed to defending Japan.
"There are different opinions (on ways to develop bilateral ties), but there's no doubt about the need (for Japan) to maintain and strengthen its relationship with the United States from a broader perspective," he added.
Regarding the ongoing Japan-U.S. negotiations on Trump's tariffs, Fujisaki said that the outcome of the talks depends on what "gifts" Japan offers the U.S. side.
"Even if the talks produce a win-win outcome, the United States would likely enjoy a 'WIN' in capital letters, while Japan would be left with a 'win' in lowercase letters," he noted.
Fujisaki argued that the United States reconsidering its tariff policy would be good for both itself and other countries. "The current policy may benefit some parts of the United States in the short term, but it will generally have negative (effects) in the long term," he said.
"If advanced countries adopt a policy of putting themselves first, many developing countries would be left behind and accumulate frustration," Fujisaki said. "China may try to fill the void left by the United States."
"In any case, the world will pursue the banner of multilateralism, the rule of law, and free trade," he noted.
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