American and Japan flags waving towards the sky.
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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stated on Monday he was choosing George Glass, a former funding banker and diplomat notable for his criticisms of China, to function his ambassador to Japan.
“In my First Time period, George was the U.S. Ambassador to Portugal. As a former President of an Funding Financial institution, George will deliver his enterprise acumen to the Ambassador’s place,” Trump stated in a publish on Fact Social.
Throughout his 2017-2021 stint in Lisbon, Glass gained prominence for warning towards Beijing’s investments in strategic sectors in Portugal and its mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
His choice comes amid straining ties between Tokyo and Beijing over a raft of points from commerce to territorial disputes.
Japan hosts the biggest abroad contingent of U.S. forces, together with Washington’s solely forward-deployed plane service strike group, on China’s doorstep.
Amongst Japan’s fears about Trump’s return are whether or not he’ll push Tokyo to pay extra in the direction of that U.S. navy presence or undertake protectionist commerce measures that might damage Japanese companies.
Requested about Glass at a information convention on Tuesday, Japan’s Chief Cupboard Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated Tokyo appeared ahead to “elevating the Japan-U.S. alliance to new heights with the following administration.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba failed in an try to get a assembly with Trump final month. Trump stated on Monday he was open to assembly Ishiba earlier than he takes workplace on Jan. 20.
Glass, a businessman from Oregon, is a religious Catholic and was a prime fundraiser for Trump’s 2024 election marketing campaign.
He based Portland-based funding financial institution Pacific Crest Securities, serving as president and vice-chair between 1990 and 2014, after which began actual property enterprise MGG Improvement LLC in 2015.
