Hello from Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is visiting the U.S. this week, and the cover of the latest issue of our magazine shows Kishida during an exclusive interview at the prime minister's office ahead of his trip. The cover image is the face of the publication, and our magazine team always spends a lot of time deciding on the final design.
At the suggestion of our photo editor, we decided to have the prime minister pose with a globe in his hands. Asking the head of the government to set aside time for a photo shoot was, perhaps unsurprisingly, not easy. We sent several sample photos to Kishida's office in advance so he and his staff could see what kind of images we had in mind. Fortunately, they seemed to like our idea.
Speaking of globes, one of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's many catchphrases was "diplomacy that takes a panoramic view of the world map." As Japan's longest-serving prime minister, Abe actively traveled abroad and, according to the prime minister's office, flew the equivalent of about 39.5 times around the world.
So how does Kishida, who served as a foreign minister under Abe, differ from his former boss in his diplomatic style? Based on our exclusive interview, this week's Big Story takes an in-depth look at the kind of Japan-U.S. relationship Kishida is seeking to build as the world tries to guess the outcome of the American presidential election in November.
Kishida's visit also included the first-ever trilateral summit among the U.S., Japan and the Philippines. The Philippines is Taiwan's geographically closest Southeast Asian neighbor and, like the democratically governed island, also faces rising tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea. Perhaps understandably, more Filipinos would side with the U.S. over China if asked to choose between the two powers, unlike many other countries in the region, according to a recent survey by a Singapore think tank.
If, like Abe, we take a panoramic view of the world map, we also need to look at what is happening in China this week. President Xi Jinping has been busy holding marathon talks with Vietnam's National Assembly chairman, Russia's foreign minister and Taiwan's former president. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also recently visited China.
China was among the first countries to begin constructing a pavilion at the site of Osaka Expo 2025, and the structure is expected to be one of the largest among the participants. The U.S. is also planning a pavilion, and according to an announcement made after the U.S.-Japan summit, Washington has -- for the first time since 1988 -- approved federal funding to support the structure's design, construction and operation. But many participating nations have not so much as raised a hammer at the site yet, and our Asia Insight explains why.
One of the many reasons for the delays in preparing for the expo is the labor shortage in Japan. This is an industrywide problem, and the Business Spotlight in this week's magazine looks at the issue from perhaps a different angle than usual. The story examines the trend of large numbers of foreigners flocking to Japan to learn about auto repair, a trade that is becoming more complex as the industry shifts to electric vehicles.
Not far from my office, there is a restaurant that serves a Malay dish called nasi kandar. According to my colleague who knows a lot about Malaysia, the eatery's fare is not necessarily authentic, but after reading the Tea Leaves column in this week's magazine about mamak restaurants in Malaysia, I'm confident that you will want to try the dish.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Shin Nakayama
Editor-in-chief, Nikkei Asia
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @ShinNakayama_NA
