/JAPAN: Ex-PM Aso Meets With Trump As More Countries Hedge Their Bets In US Presidential Race

Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, who currently serves as Vice President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, joining several senior political leaders who decided to speak with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee ahead of the November election.

• Multiple countries have recently deployed their officials to hold talks with Trump, albeit at various levels of seniority. The list includes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Polish President Andrzej Duda and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, as well as King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, who spoke with Trump by phone.
• Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters that the government was not involved in arranging Aso's meeting with Trump. However, it is a well known fact that the octogenarian remains one of the LDP's most senior figures and had close ties to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who forged a cordial relationship with Trump.
• The latest series of Trump's interactions with foreign leaders represents their efforts to hedge their bets ahead of the upcoming presidential election. With global geopolitical tensions on the rise, they are seeking to ensure that American security guarantees will remain in place regardless of who forms the next administration.