PRESS CONFERENCE

America is Trying to Mug Us
Shinji Oguma, Member of the House of Representatives, CDP

13:00-14:00 Monday, April 28, 2025
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.

In the three months since taking office, US President Donald Trump's policy gyrations have perplexed and infuriated America's allies. Trump's decision to start a trade war is especially troubling to Japan, given its deep dependence on the US for both economic and national security, two separate issues that Trump insists on bundling together. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's Minister of Economic Revitalization, have the appearance of two men walking on diplomatic eggshells as they try to work out a compromise.

It's no secret that Japanese lawmaker Shinji Oguma disagrees with that strategy. In comments made during a parliamentary committee hearing this month, Oguma likened America to a "delinquent kid extorting someone", questioned if it was safe for "serious" people to go and negotiate with Trump and urged the government to resist his demands. "It's like a mugging," he said. "If you give money to people who are going to mug you, they will come back to mug you again."

The comments have made Oguma a viral online star, but will the Japanese government listen to him? Japan recorded a trade surplus of 9 trillion yen ($63 billion) with the US for the last fiscal year. Some commentators predict that Akazawa may agree to import more rice and other American products in an attempt to head off Trump's threat of a 24 percent tariff on imports from Japan. Oguma will come to the Club to give his views on how to handle the mercurial and unpredictable American leader.

How to attend: 
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in and giving your name and contact details at the reception. 

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live 　

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/BzVAPMMepFEAvvoQ6

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. 

Professional Activities Committee