TOKYO —
A day after Donald Trump became U. S. President and vowed to put “America First”, Asian media decried his isolationist policies, fearing they will chill the global economy and sow widespread international discord.
In a defiant inaugural address, Trump said U. S. workers have been devastated by an outflow of jobs overseas, one of the main themes of a divisive campaign that emphasized making America strong again.
In Japan, one of Washington’s oldest and staunchest Asian allies, newspapers across the political spectrum criticised the new administration, with more than one saying the world was now in “unpredictable territory.”
“Has there ever been a new U. S. administration that began by spreading unease, not expectations, throughout the world?” said the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun, adding that Trump appeared ready to take both alliances and global norms lightly if they didn’t benefit the United States.
The liberal Asahi Shimbun went further and said Trump, who called on allies like Japan and South Korea to shoulder a greater share of defense costs or face the possible withdrawal of U. S. troops, posed a risk to the freer global order born after World War Two and the Cold War.
“Will the unpredictable Trump whirlwind cross the U. S. borders to spread division and conflict? The new master of the White House must realise the heavy responsibility that accompanies his words and actions”, it said.
