Is the US-Japan honeymoon about to end?

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made it a point to meet with Donald Trump just after the latter was elected US president in November 2016 to build personal rapport with Trump and bring the two countries closer. Given the subsequent remarks of the two leaders, many believed Abe had succeeded in his endeavor.

However, Trump has taken a hard line toward Japan, even harsher than toward the US' other key allies in trade, demanding the US' trade deficit of about $69 billion with Japan in 2017 be significantly reduced. For Trump, the trade issue is non-negotiable, and therefore should be addressed by Japan.

While Trump has granted the European Union, Canada, Australia and Mexico tariff exemptions on steel and aluminum imports, he has not shown the same generosity toward Japan despite Abe's desperate efforts, and much to the Japanese leader's dismay. During his visit to the United States in April, Abe put tariff exemption high on the list of issues for discussion and used "golf diplomacy" to deepen what he thought was personal rapport with Trump so as to better serve Japan's national interests. Yet all these efforts were in vain, undermining Abe's authority in Japan.