During a high-profile meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 17 in New York, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proudly gave a "made-in-Japan" gift to the maverick businessman — a luxury, gold-colored golf driver manufactured by Tokyo-based Honma Golf Co., which touts its top artisans' skills at a factory in Yamagata Prefecture.
But a somewhat awkward fact for the Japanese government was pointed out Wednesday by the state-run People's Daily in China: Honma Golf Co., which went bankrupt in 2005, is now owned by a Chinese company.
"As the first foreign leader to meet Trump since the election, Abe presented Trump with a golden golf club to reinforce mutual trust. However, the club was manufactured by a company that, while originally Japanese, has since been acquired by a Chinese enterprise," the English version of People's Daily reported.