NHK featured Covington Public Policy co-chair Bruce Andrews ahead of the Japan-U.S. summit between President Trump and Prime Minister Takaichi, in a segment examining the economic and security dimensions of the bilateral relationship amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and deteriorating Japan-China relations.
Bruce, a former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, told NHK that the focus of the meeting had shifted significantly in recent weeks. "Two weeks ago, I would have said that economic matters were the most important, but given the recent situation in the Middle East, this will be a good opportunity to remind us once again why security and the Japan-U.S. alliance are so important," he said.
Regarding the 80 trillion yen Japanese investment commitment agreed upon last year, Bruce stated that "this agreement will create opportunities for additional projects that will benefit both Japan and the United States. For this framework to function, it needs to benefit companies in both Japan and the United States, and ultimately the American economy." He also pointed to the deterioration of Japan-China relations as making the alliance more important than ever, suggesting that Japan should reiterate to the United States that "Japan is a strong ally and has always stood by America when it needed us. In these challenging times, the importance of such alliances is all the more apparent."
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