Photo/Illutration Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo)

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba congratulated U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as Tokyo began bracing for his second “America First” administration.

“I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Trump on his victory and also express my respect to the democratic choice of the people of the United States,” Ishiba told reporters on Nov. 6 after Trump was projected to win the presidential election.

“I want to work closely with him to take the Japan-U.S. alliance and Japan-U.S. relationship to new levels.”

Ishiba added that he is eager to meet with Trump as soon as possible.

The Foreign Ministry plans to arrange a meeting between Ishiba and Trump in the United States after the Group of 20 summit to be held in Brazil from Nov. 18 to Nov. 19.

Japanese officials anticipate increased pressure from the Trump White House, particularly on trade and national security policies.

A key Trump campaign pledge is slapping 10- to 20-percent tariffs on all imports to the United States.

Known for his preference for one-on-one “deal-making,” Trump is expected to leverage the proposed across-the-board tariffs to win concessions from trading partners through bilateral negotiations.

“Our allies have taken advantage of us more than our enemies,” Trump said in a media interview on Oct. 15, referring to the U.S. trade deficit and other issues.

During his first term, Trump in 2017 unilaterally withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral trade agreement and obliged Japan to lower tariffs on agricultural products to levels agreed under the TPP arrangement.

A senior official in the ministry of economy, trade and industry said Trump is expected to ratchet up demands against Japan on investments and employment in the United States.

Trump has also vowed to “absolutely” block Nippon Steel Corp.’s proposed 2-trillion-yen ($13 million) acquisition of U.S. Steel Corp.

Steel products were the first Japanese export items on which the Trump administration imposed anti-dumping duties in 2017.

Trump has also voiced dissatisfaction about “free riding” by U.S. allies on Washington’s global security burdens.

After he returns to the White House in January, Trump is expected to press Japan to increase funding for U.S. forces stationed in the country.

In his memoir, John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during the first Trump administration, wrote that Trump called on Japan to shoulder $8 billion annually in 2019, more than three times as much as before.

“We are sure to be in for a rough time,” a Defense Ministry source said. “You never know what he might come up with. We might be forced to shell out vast amounts of money (for weapons purchases and other issues).”

Ishiba’s predecessor, Fumio Kishida, decided to raise defense spending to 2 percent of Japan’s gross domestic product to deal with the increasingly severe regional security environment.

But some Republican Party officials are calling for a further increase to 3 percent of GDP.

Government officials said a key factor in Japan-U.S. relations will be whether Ishiba can develop rapport with Trump.

In November 2016, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveled to New York to meet Trump soon after he won the presidential election. The two leaders forged close ties through golfing, their shared passion, and other exchanges.

(This article was compiled from reports by Ken Sakakibara and Ryo Kiyomiya in Washington and Shino Matsuyama.)

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