Written on July 2, 2019, this essay discusses the diplomatic value of Japan’s appeal to the world, using as its starting point the official White House video released after President Trump’s visit to Japan.
Through an essay by Ruhi Abiru, it highlights how Japan’s international presence was rising through Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s diplomacy with President Trump, his visit to Iran, and the broader geopolitical setting surrounding the G20 summit.
At the same time, by touching on domestic anti-Abe forces and South Korea’s isolation, it sharply portrays the limitations of parts of Japan’s media and commentariat that refuse to acknowledge tangible achievements.

2019-07-02
The White House uploaded a video on its official website titled “President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Visit Japan.”

The following is from an essay by Ruhi Abiru, one of the finest active journalists of our time, published in the August issue of the monthly magazine WiLL under the title, “The very culprit of the ‘secretary salary fraud’ case, of all people… Kiyomi Tsujimoto barks at Prime Minister Abe about a ‘hundred years of security fraud.’”
Mr. Abiru is a descendant of the commander of the ancient sakimori who fortified the defenses of Kyushu when ancient Japan prepared for an invasion by Tang.
In other words, from ancient times to the present, he has staked his life on the defense of Japan.
Refusing to see results.　
President Trump visited Japan as the first state guest of the Reiwa era, but there was a great deal of quite biased reporting.
The closeness between Prime Minister Abe and President Trump was unfairly undervalued.
There were also mixed opinions about President Trump’s attendance at grand sumo.
However, after President Trump returned home, the White House uploaded a video on its official website titled “President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Visit Japan.”
Perhaps because of its skillful editing, it has been viewed about 4.7 million times.
In other words, through this video, the virtues of Japan are being publicized to the world.
The advertising effect of the country called Japan is outstanding.
If this is not to be called a diplomatic achievement, then what should it be called?　
At President Trump’s request as well, Prime Minister Abe met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
This is originally a problem that America and the European countries should deal with.
But no one could meet Iran directly, talk with it, and negotiate.
There was no country to rely on other than Japan.
The Iranian side too was in a situation where it had no choice but to rely on Japan through the Foreign Ministry.　
U.S. National Security Advisor Bolton is said to be a hard-liner, and there are signs that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to carry out “regime change” in Iran.
That probably means they want to turn it into a so-called Western-style democratic state, but it is difficult to hope for a major regime change in a religious state like Iran.　
Iran has a long history and strong pride.
Even if threatened by America, it will not yield so easily.
Rather, North Korea is easier.
If only the Kim dynasty is overthrown, regime change can be achieved.　
Even Prime Minister Abe did not think that he could achieve a major result in a single meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei.
It should be considered good enough that he was able to draw from Khamenei words such as, “We will neither manufacture, possess, nor use nuclear weapons.”
Khamenei of course understands the close relationship between Prime Minister Abe and Mr. Trump, so this was a message to the United States.　
However, while Prime Minister Abe was visiting Iran, an incident occurred in which a Japanese tanker was shelled in the Strait of Hormuz.
A similar incident had also occurred in this sea area in May, and this time, because the ship was not flying the Japanese flag, it is unclear whether the attacking side had identified the tanker’s ownership or nationality.
Still, it is a fact that it sent shock waves through the world, beginning with America.
I do not think that America and Iran will immediately come to cross weapons, but it is necessary to deal with the matter calmly.　
Even so, the value of Prime Minister Abe’s visit to Iran is in no way diminished.
The whole world is now watching Prime Minister Abe’s movements.
North Korea, which has been pointed out as being in a cooperative relationship with Iran in nuclear and missile development, cannot help but pay close attention as well.　
Meanwhile, former vice minister Kihei Maekawa tweeted on his own Twitter account, “Abe may be planning to go to Iran and come back saying, ‘I have avoided a U.S.-Iran war,’ but America never intended to go to war with Iran in the first place.
What is he going to Iran for?
Is it to recover, for domestic consumption, from the failures of his diplomacy toward Russia and North Korea?
Such a visit to Iran is ir-an!” (sic).
What is he trying to say?（laugh）
He is trying to mock with a poor pun, but instead he only exposes his own narrowness of vision and pettiness.
Including some of the mass media, those who hate Abe refuse to see any of the results and achievements right before their eyes.
Isolated South Korea.　
It would be fine if the evaluation were fair and balanced, such as, “I value this about the Abe administration, and it has achieved results here, but I criticize it because I think thus.”
But the people who hate Abe, the so-called Abeno-sayers, try to negate everything no matter what, and so strain inevitably arises.
One of them, Professor Jiro Yamaguchi of Hosei University, tweeted, “Prime Minister Abe must have already lost any policy agenda he wants to pursue.
A simultaneous election with constitutional revision as the issue would suit us just fine.
Let us settle who is superior.
The opposition parties should hurry their preparations.” (sic), trying in one way or another to stir up the opposition, but what do we make of that?
At the very least, it is out of line with the consciousness of the majority of the public.　
The Abe administration is the third-longest administration in history.
Moreover, there is a high possibility that it will become the longest during its term.
Cabinet approval ratings vary from paper to paper, but they remain around fifty percent.　
It is also significant that there are no other options, but it is because most citizens think, “The Abe administration is fine.”
In that situation, for a small band of თანამ志たち to keep chanting “We hate Abe” is nothing more than self-gratification.　
The Trump video is also a case in point, but Japan’s good image is being transmitted across the world, and as a result the number of tourists has increased dramatically.
Even South Koreans who proclaim anti-Japan sentiment visited Japan in the astonishing number of 7.53 million in 2018.　
If we turn our eyes to South Korea itself, conservative newspapers such as the Chosun Ilbo and JoongAng Ilbo are carrying editorials and commentaries saying that “South Korea is isolated under the Moon administration.”
At the G20 to be held in Osaka, South Korea will likely taste isolation.
Even if President Moon Jae-in seeks a meeting, Prime Minister Abe will likely turn him away.
That would be only natural, since the Moon administration has done absolutely nothing regarding the wartime labor issue over these past several months.　
On the other hand, with the exception of Japan and South Korea, Prime Minister Abe plans to meet with as many as possible of the other eighteen countries.
Seeing Japan in this posture, South Korea can only realize that it is “internationally isolated.”　
There is also a possibility that President Moon Jae-in will be absent.
He may be too embarrassed to come.（laugh）　
Only recently as well, President Moon Jae-in has repeatedly shown discourtesy and breaches of protocol in diplomacy.
When Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark visited South Korea, he attended an official banquet hosted by Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon.
President Moon Jae-in was seated beside him, but apparently got up in the middle and never returned.
It cannot be helped if people say he lacks international common sense.
South Koreans are often self-centered, and President Moon Jae-in strongly shows that tendency as well.　
It may be best for Japan to wait for the self-destruction of the Moon administration.
To be continued.