Latest news with #IchiroFujisaki
Japan Today
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Japan and European members of the G7 should avoid teaming up and making (U.S. President Donald) Trump feel isolated.
Former Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki, highlighting the importance of maintaining the Group of Seven framework at this weekend's G7 summit in Canada, in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's reluctance on global cooperation. © Jiji Press
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
25-02-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Ex-Japan envoy concerned over Trump's foreign aid cuts
New York – Former Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki has shown concern that China may expand its influence over developing countries if U.S. President Donald Trump's foreign aid cuts leads to a decrease in Washington's assistance to the Global South. In such a situation, "Japan and European countries will face the need to respond either by encouraging the United States to restart its aid or by shouldering the burden of assistance to some extent," Fujisaki said in a recent interview. After taking office in January, Trump signed an executive order stipulating that the United States would not spend on foreign assistance programs that are not consistent with the president's diplomatic policy. The U.S. State Department announced a temporary suspension of foreign aid through the department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Ichiro Fujisaki | Jiji The United States is the world's leading provider of foreign aid, contributing huge funds to developing countries to help them implement measures against global warming and other issues. "It can be problematic if the support that has been made to prevent the gap between developed and developing countries from expanding stagnates," Fujisaki said. Although China is facing an economic slowdown and is seen as having little capacity for foreign support, Fujisaki expressed concern about future developments as China has strengthened its international influence through loans and investments in the Global South. In the interview, Fujisaki also discussed Trump's diplomatic style of advocating for tariff hikes and pressuring other countries to make concessions. "Overturning a system that took 80 years to build since the end of the war should not happen," he said, noting the history of the World Trade Organization and others promoting free trade, which has also been beneficial for Japan.
