Trump sincere, powerful — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has praised United States President Donald Trump as a “very sincere and powerful person.”

Ishiba made this remark on Friday when asked by reporters about his impressions of Trump since he took office at the White House.

The Japanese leader said he had watched Trump for “many, many years on television,” and meeting him in person was “quite exciting.”

“On television, he is frightening and has a very strong personality,” Ishiba said.

“But when I met him, he was actually very sincere, very powerful, and had a strong will for the US and for the whole world.”

Media Talk Africa reports that earlier today, Trump welcomed Ishiba at the White House.

“We love Japan!” Trump said as he greeted Ishiba, and the two shook hands.

Trump, whose first three weeks in office have upended norms and unsettled foreign capitals from Ottawa to Bogotá, has taken a more conventional approach to Washington’s longstanding Asia-Pacific allies, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines.