Donald Trump has been declared the winner of the United States’ 2024 presidential election, meaning the controversial ex-president will once again occupy the White House starting in 2025. U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific, who had a tumultuous time during Trump’s first term, were quick to respond with congratulations and insistence that bilateral relationships will be unaffected.
In Japan, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru offered “heartfelt congratulations” to Trump on X (formerly Twitter). He added, “I truly look forward to working closely with you to further bolster the Japan-US Alliance & cooperate to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said that Ishiba had sent a formal congratulatory letter to Trump as well, expressing the same sentiments.
Previously, Japanese media had reported that Ishiba might seek to make a quick visit to the United States to meet with the president-elect before or after attending two multilateral summits in South America in mid-November.
Japan’s former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo famously became the first world leader to meet with President-elect Trump in 2016, getting an early start at building a personal relationship with the mercurial U.S. leader. Abe was mostly able to keep the Japan-U.S. relationship on an even keel by fostering a close relationship with Trump, but even his efforts didn’t insulate Japan from becoming the target of Trump’s “trade war” tactics or demands for U.S. allies to pony up additional funds.
Furthering complicating Japan’s response to Trump’s re-election, Ishiba himself might not be able to “work closely” with Trump. His Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority in the October 27 general election, and intense coalition talks are still underway to determine what Japan’s next government will look like.
Meanwhile, in South Korea, President Yoon Suk-yeol also issued his congratulations on X. “Under your strong leadership, the future of the ROK-U.S. alliance and America will shine brighter. Look forward to working closely with you,” Yoon said.
The South Korean leader in particular has a lot riding on the next U.S. president, as his main response to North Korea’s increasingly aggressive tactics has been to beef up security cooperation with the United States, as well as trilateral cooperation with the two allies and Japan.
Yoon, as a conversative, theoretically has more in common with Trump’s ideology than liberal Moon Jae-in, who held South Korea’s presidency during Trump’s previous term. But the two leaders have shown different approaches to – and levels of appreciation for – the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Under Trump’s first term, the agreement governing cost-sharing for U.S. forces stationed in South Korea was up for renewal. The former president famously attempted to massively jack up Seoul’s contributions, demanding $5 billion. The two sides signed a stopgap agreement in 2019; it wasn’t until the Biden administration came to office that a full deal was reached.
Meanwhile, Trump also unilaterally agreed to halt South Korea-U.S. military drills in a meeting with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un. In doing so, he apparently caught even U.S. defense officials by surprise, much less leaders in Seoul.
Should Trump repeat such actions in his upcoming term, it would cause serious complications to Yoon’s security strategy.
Taiwan also has a lot riding on U.S. support in terms of guaranteeing its own security. The U.S. president-elect has been inconsistent on his commitment to Taiwan; Trump himself is more likely to slam Taiwan for “stealing” U.S. jobs in the semiconductor industry than he is to commit to the island’s defense.
That said, many past (and potentially future) Trump administration figures were outspoken about the importance of defending Taiwan, and Taiwan-U.S. relations blossomed under his first term. With Trump adopting the Washington consensus that China is the greatest threat to U.S. national security across nearly every possible issue area, he may be convinced to acknowledge Taiwan’s strategic importance.
Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, expressed his confidence that Taiwan-U.S. relations would continue to flourish. In a post offering his “sincere congratulations” to Trump, Lai said he was “confident that the longstanding #Taiwan-#US partnership, built on shared values & interests, will continue to serve as a cornerstone for regional stability & lead to greater prosperity for us all.”
Notably, while expressing congratulations, none of the above statements are as effusive as the praise heaped on Trump by, for example, the Central Asian leaders. That may speak to increased nervousness on the part of U.S. allies – or simply an unwillingness to play the flattery card.
