To cater to Trump's preferences, Takayama Hayato has gone to great lengths. On the morning of October 28 local time, Japanese Prime Minister Takayama Hayato held talks with U.S. President Trump, who was visiting Japan, at the Tokyo Imperial Hotel. This was their first meeting. According to reports from Japan Television and TBS News, during the meeting, Takayama Hayato stated that Japan would nominate Trump for the future Nobel Peace Prize, which caused strong opposition from Japanese netizens.

What was discussed? Rare earths, defense, tariffs...

"Japan and the U.S. have become the greatest alliance in the world. I hope to jointly open a 'golden era' of Japan-U.S. relations with President Trump," according to an FNN news report on the 28th, Takayama Hayato made such a statement.

The "Mainichi Shimbun" reported that the two sides reaffirmed their willingness to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance. The two countries are expected to sign a joint document after the meeting, specifically implementing the content of the tariff negotiation agreement. In addition, the two countries will also negotiate and coordinate on increasing defense spending in Japan, cooperation in seven areas including artificial intelligence and aerospace, and assisting the U.S. in increasing shipbuilding capacity.

The report also said that the U.S. and Japan will cooperate in "ensuring the supply of key minerals such as rare earths." Previously, Japan had expressed plans to mine rare earth resources near the seabed near the remote island of Minami-Tori-shima, but there are still significant problems in terms of mining difficulty, refining costs, and ensuring production capacity.

In the meeting, Trump and Takayama Hayato also used the late Japanese former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo as a common topic. Takayama Hayato thanked Trump for "maintaining a long-term friendship with Abe Shinzo," and Trump responded by saying, "I have heard of Takayama Hayato from Abe Shinzo, and I believe he would be happy about Takayama Hayato's election." During his tenure, Abe Shinzo maintained close contact with Trump both in diplomatic and private settings, and had long supported Takayama Hayato within the Japanese political arena.

Trump also expressed support for Takayama Hayato's "golden era" theory, stating, "I love Japan and respect this country very much. The U.S. and Japan have the most solid alliance, and I believe our relationship will be stronger than ever."

Takayama Hayato welcomed Trump's visit to Japan in Tokyo on the morning of the 28th. "Nikkei Shimbun"

Regarding the matter of "nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize," Japan Television's report recalled that Takayama Hayato had praised Trump's leadership in the Middle East situation during a telephone conversation with Trump on the 25th. In addition, several Japanese government officials also said that Trump had previously mediated the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand and "made significant contributions to resolving regional conflicts," which may become the reason for Japan's support for Trump's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump himself also sees his "contributions to peace" as a subject of self-praise. On the evening of the 27th local time, during his meeting with Emperor Naruhito of Japan, Trump also boasted about resolving eight conflicts during his term. Naruhito also said, "Seeing these conflicts, I feel deeply distressed and hope for peace to come soon."

Japanese netizens "expressed strong criticism": making a show to please the United States

Regarding Takayama Hayato's wish to recommend Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, even in the comment sections of Japanese news that have a large number of "Takayama fans," many Japanese netizens expressed opposing views. One netizen said, "This president who caused the Gaza massacre and the chaos in Ukraine is not worthy of the Nobel Prize. Nominating him is like Japan tacitly allowing the Gaza massacre."

Some netizens' comments were almost "direct insults": "No wonder he is an ally of Abe, this government obviously humiliates the country and makes a show to please the United States. The Japanese prime minister should not be a servant of the United States. He must maintain independence and not easily compromise. Unless it is for Japan's political independence, rather than catering to America's global strategy, increasing defense spending would be meaningless."

Some netizens expressed understanding of Takayama Hayato overall, but opposed recommending Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize: "I understand that the prime minister hopes to build trust, but I am uneasy about using recommendations as a diplomatic tool."

Some netizens directly said, "It looks like a pro-American diplomacy, and its long-term and widespread negative impact is worth thinking about."

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