US-Japan trade deal is victory for Abe, not Trump

Tokyo offered nothing more than it had three years ago

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Japan needs to brace for Trump's second act. © Reuters

Donald Trump may be famous -- among other things -- for his book "The Art of the Deal." But last week Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe schooled the obsessively transactional U.S. president on how a real deal is done.

With Chinese trade talks in tatters, U.S. farmers fuming over tariffs and impeachment now a live threat, Trump was desperate for a win on the global stage. Any win would do. Abe's team exploited Trump's anxiety and time pressures to score an artful dodge for Asia's number-two economy.

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