Would US-Japan ties be hurt by a Trump re-election?

December 11, 2023

Would US-Japan ties be hurt by a Trump re-election? | Emanuel Rahm | GZERO World

Can one of the United States' closest allies count on it when the chips are down?

That question was up in the air during the four years of President Trump's administration. And now that the former President has a real chance of winning the White House in 2024 again, it's an urgent question again. And it's one that Ian Bremmer puts to the US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, in the last episode of GZERO World.

In an exclusive interview in Tokyo, Bremmer and Emanuel discuss various topics, ranging from the crucial (but complicated) US-Japan relationship, the ever-present security threats China poses, and the raging conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

But perhaps no question hit closer to home than America's reliability. "Elections may fluctuate," Emanuel assures Ian, "but strategic interests align."

Watch the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer episode: The complicated US-Japan relationship

Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week on US public television (check local listings) and at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld.

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Would US-Japan ties be hurt by a Trump re-election?

Watch the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer episode: The complicated US-Japan relationship

Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week on US public television (check local listings) and at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld.

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Would US-Japan ties be hurt by a Trump re-election?

Watch the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer episode: The complicated US-Japan relationship

Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week on US public television (check local listings) and at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld.

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“The Taliban’s war is against women,” Fawzia Koofi, former Afghan parliamentarian, and women’s rights activist, told GZERO’s Tony Maciulis on the sidelines of the 2025 Munich Security Conference.

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It was the first high level meeting between the two countries since Moscow's full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

100: M23 rebels – a Rwanda-backed militia – took control of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s second-largest city, Bukavu, on Monday.

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"Ransomware attacks surged 252% last year—hospitals, schools, and local governments are paying the price," said Brad Smith, Microsoft vice chair and president, during a Global Stage discussion at the 2025 Munich Security Conference.