Yasushi Kudo, President of The Genron NPO

Under President-Elect Donald Trump, the United States is still expected to take the lead addressing global issues while adhering to the principles of freedom and democracy. During the presidential campaign, Trump sometimes suggested he would pursue isolationist, exclusivist, and protectionist policies. The pursuit of such policies would further destabilize the international order. The Trump administration should recognize that the United States has largely benefited from the post-war global economic system and security arrangements, of which principal author was the United States itself.

There is no doubt that U.S. leadership has been, and will continue to be, indispensable for resolving challenges facing the world. Cooperative relations between the United States and its allies are essential toward that end. The Trump administration should not harm the United States' long-standing relations with its allies such as Japan and South Korea. It should instead strive to strengthen relations with U.S. allies and deepen its reliable partnerships to tackle global issues, centering on economic and security ones, together.

According to a 2015 opinion survey conducted by the Genron NPO, approximately 80 percent of Japanese people voiced their expectations that Washington will act responsibly in solving issues of a global scale. In Northeast Asia, North Korea's nuclear program is one of the most pressing issues. The United States should cooperate with Japan and South Korea to solve the issue through dialogue, while also bringing China into this process. It should also avert the temptation to adopt protectionist policies and instead liberalize its international trade policies.