The inauguration of President Trump in the United States is finally coming up next week. From Japan, the Foreign Minister will also be attending, which is an unusual development. ■Unusual invitation Is Japan important? LDP Senator Satsuki Katayama said, "Senator Hagerty asked me to respond to an offer to attend President Trump's inauguration ceremony between the 29th and the early hours of the 30th (last month) and said he wanted a response, and that it should be within the year." The inauguration of the next President of the United States, Trump, is scheduled for the 20th. LDP Senator Satsuki Katayama revealed that he has been invited to the inauguration ceremony. Furthermore, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya has also been invited and is making arrangements to attend. Foreign Minister Iwaya said, "I would like to communicate closely with the next Trump administration." It is customary for the ambassador to the United States to attend the inauguration ceremony of the US president, so it is extremely unusual for the Foreign Minister to attend. An expert familiar with American politics analyzes the meaning of this invitation as follows. Professor Mieko Nakabayashi of Waseda University: "There are people in the US government who give advice on various matters, from policy to global strategy, and everyone says that Japan is important, so I thought it was a gesture that they value Japan, including in terms of the economy and security." According to a government source, Akie Abe, who met with Trump last month, was also invited. ■ What impact will Trump's inauguration as president have on Japan? Meanwhile, a US research company that analyzes international situations has announced this year's "Top 10 Global Risks." Among the risks listed are Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine and the "out-of-control" artificial intelligence (AI), and more than half of the items are related to President-elect Trump. President-elect Trump: "The name of the Gulf of Mexico will be changed to American Gulf. American Gulf is a really good name and it's fitting." President-elect Trump is pushing ahead with America First. The 10th of the top 10 risks is "conflict between the US and Mexico." It is expected that the relationship between the two countries will become even worse due to tariff measures and crackdowns on illegal immigration. In fourth place, "Trumponomics," there are concerns that the previously publicly announced increase in tariffs will cause chaos in global trade. In third place is "US-China Breakdown." This is the view that the stable relationship with China built by President Biden will collapse if Trump returns to power. With the analysis released stating that Trump's inauguration will create global risks, will there be no impact on Japan? Professor Nakabayashi said, "The foundation of the Japanese economy has been, and still is, automobiles. Past Japanese administrations also made concessions on agriculture as soon as they were told that tariffs would be imposed on automobiles, so if automobiles become a target this time as well, the Japanese economy will be in big trouble." If relations with Mexico deteriorate and a significant increase in tariffs becomes a reality, the risks for Japan will also increase. Professor Nakabayashi: "Trump wants to protect American manufacturing somehow. Japanese companies are also trying to save on tariffs, so they are building factories in Mexico. (Manufacturing) is a frightening industry sector if it is seriously hit hard." (From "Good! Morning" broadcast on January 13, 2025) [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp