Among the many things Japan and America have in common is a shared love of baseball.
But there are crucial differences, in particular around tie games. Americans tend to dislike where both teams share the spoils, but in Japan, they’re not uncommon; a baseball season will see a few dozen fixtures where honors are even.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will be playing for a tie during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday. Having been rebuffed by Trump’s camp in November, the summit has been a long time coming. But Ishiba won’t be looking for any great breakthrough, a dramatic defense re-posturing, or support for any of his long-held foreign policy goals, such as changing the status of U.S. armed forces. Instead, he will be looking to keep Japan out of the Trump’s trade crosshairs — to leave town with the status quo affirmed and no new issues raised.
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