Global Impact | New leaders in Asia, as well as the US, create questions as Trump return looms

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The re-election of Donald Trump as US president earlier this month brought with it fresh challenges and opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region, where several countries have also witnessed leadership changes.

Japan’s parliament last week voted to keep Shigeru Ishiba, who had only been elected last month, as Japan’s prime minister.

He had already extended his congratulations to Trump, expressing hope that bilateral ties could be brought “to new heights”.

Before becoming prime minister, Ishiba had called for an “Asian version of Nato” and suggested that US nuclear weapons in the Asia-Pacific could be shared – a notion likely to stoke tensions in the region.

But as Ishiba braces himself for Trump’s unpredictable and transactional approach to foreign policy, and the possibility of new trade barriers, Ishiba might wish to – like one of his predecessors, Shinzo Abe – forge personal ties with Trump.