The Diplomat Who Played His Own Game
Departing as US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel reflects on his tenure, warns of the ‘Axis of Autocrats,’ and signals future ambitions
After nearly three years representing the USA in the Land of the Rising Sun, Ambassador Emanuel’s tenure closes as one marked by sharp elbows and independence. Often diverging from the Biden Administration’s script, he carved his own path, unafraid to speak his mind. Since his arrival in January 2022, the outgoing ambassador has defended American ideals with zeal, even as his party falters at home and a populist president prepares to fill his post.
Speaking to gathered journalists in Tokyo, and hinting at future ambitions, he declared, “I’m not quiet. You’ll know what I’m doing in the future,” punctuating his words with a wink. Invoking President Kennedy, he added, “I believe in the value of public service. It is honorable.” For him, America’s ideals remain a fight worth pursuing
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Today, he revealed a different side. At one point, his voice cracked as he reflected on his heritage: the son of an Israeli immigrant and grandson of a Moldovan who fled pogroms for a land he couldn’t pronounce or understand. “The fact that the son and grandson of immigrants could represent this country overseas, as a voice for its values and ideals, is only possible in America,” he said. “My one wish is that my father were still alive to see this day ‘cause I think it would shock him.” This softer, sentimental Emanuel was a stark contrast to the man I’ve seen tear into his staff with biting precision.
He expressed deep affection for his host country, saying, “I want the people of Japan to know that you have stolen my heart.” While acknowledging Chicago as his home, he added, “I feel very much at home here.” Reflecting on his tenure, he said, “I have had the opportunity to learn something every day, to enhance the United States, and to do it in a place you have fallen in love with is a unique honor.”
“The president sent me to reinvigorate, reimagine, and reenergize our partnership with Japan to meet future challenges and opportunities,” he said, acknowledging that history will be the ultimate judge. “I can say with confidence it’s stronger and better prepared than before.” He pointed to plans for a command and control center as a significant milestone. “You couldn’t have imagined that thirty years ago, even though the times called for it.”
Emanuel boasted. “The US-Japan-ROK trilateral didn’t exist three years ago. And just recently, when the DPRK launched a missile, the three nations were sharing information about the launch in real time.” “
“It’s a new era,” he said, “where we confront a member, if not two members, in the Axis of Autocrats.” It was the kind of blunt, sober statement you’d expect from a Chicago politician... a Rahm Original. He added that bitter enemies can become friends, a theme other politicians have leaned on.
China
He called out China’s modus operandi in the region: isolating a country, using full force and power to restrict its sovereignty and independence. “When America’s allies are confident in the strength, power, and commitment of the United States, the strength in our numbers becomes apparent. And then the isolated party becomes China.”
He added, “The Indo-Pacific is a home game for China, an away game for the United States. With our allies, we level the playing field.”
Nippon Steel
The ambassador is believed to have met Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba since the decision to scrap the deal. Despite the collapse of the agreement,and the trust behind it, Emanuel seems to have avoided any major fallout. “I think the US-Japan alliance is deeper and stronger than any one business transaction.” Citing other disputes, 7-Eleven and Toshiba, he said that such issues didn’t derail relations but instead strengthened them over time.
He stressed cooperation over conflict, noting that Japanese companies are replacing Chinese cranes at America’s ports and that Toyota was awarded the contract to build the rover for the next moon mission. A Japanese company is also co-producing the Patriot PAC3 missile system. “This was far from a body-blow. I stand confident in the bonds holding the nations together.”
Emanuel acknowledged that the next administration is unlikely to seek his advice and declined to comment further on the Nippon Steel - US Steel case.
Japan-US Security
A Swiss reporter asked the ambassador when Japan will wise up and realize there are holes in the alliance, like the ones showing in NATO over Ukraine. This triggered Emanuel’s turbo mode. He verbally spanked the reporter. “America’s words and deeds count,” he said, defiant. He pointed out that people across the globe count on America. “America stands shoulder to shoulder with its allies. When it comes to the Axis of Autocrats, America is that thin blue line. Do not ever question it.” He added that the US military personnel stationed from Misawa to Okinawa are the reason “China backs off.”
I asked him where he thinks Trump is taking America and whether he’ll engage in the new political landscape. He waxed about his passion for politics and public service. “I am not planning on leaving the field of public discourse and public debate,” he said. “Doing so does not come naturally to me.”
The ambassador quoted the prescient words of former Prime Minister Kishida, who famously said, “Ukraine of today may be East Asia of tomorrow.” Kishida had navigated Japan through tough waters but ultimately said “no mas” and stepped aside, meeting the fate of many Japanese leaders who couldn’t take the heat.
Rahm argued that Europe and the Indo-Pacific are connected, calling them “the heads and tails of the same strategic coin.” He pointed out that “two Asian countries are supporting Russia” and stressed that these regions can no longer be seen as separate.
Rahm also pushed the idea that the wars in Europe and the Middle East are actually one war being fought in two theaters, not two distinct conflicts.
Axis of Autocrats
True to his penchant for speaking beyond the bounds of the Biden Administration, the greyed, stern-talking ambassador said, “There are four countries in what I call the Axis of Autocrats: Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea.” He noted that three of them are supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine in one way or another. Rahm outlined two common traits among these nations. First, they lack legitimacy with their own people, as seen in the fleeing youth. “Nothing speaks louder to the lack of legitimacy of those governments than the fact that the future of those countries is fleeing,” he said. Second, their economies are suffering not just from downturns but from the very policies and positions their governments claim to enforce in the name of their people.
With days left in his tenure, the ambassador theorized that the weak link in the Axis is Iran. He pointed to Iran’s struggles with internal legitimacy, noting it sometimes has to fight its own citizens to stay in power. Iran faces inflation, a food crisis, and frequent blackouts despite being an oil producer. “The first crack at breaking the Axis of Autocrats is taking the weak link of Iran and dealing with it,” he said. However, he cautioned against assuming that “dealing with it” necessarily means military action and offered no specific plan.
Korea
On the chaos in Korea, the ambassador pointed to perceived victories, such as the trilateral Freedom’s Edge military exercise, which included naval and air drills. He also highlighted real-time intelligence sharing during North Korea’s latest missile launches. “I know the trilateral relationship will continue,” he said. “The question is whether it will thrive.”
It should be noted that leaders Kishida and Yoon who brought the positive vibes to Japan-Korea co-ops are no longer in power. Emanuel acknowledged it will take work and “seasoning” to keep it strong but offered no specifics. “China does not want to see this.”
He shifted to culture, pointing out the rising popularity of anime in South Korea and K-pop in Japan. He said the way people, especially younger generations, view each other is ahead of politics. “The people are driving Korea-Japan relations,” he said. “There was already a parade going on with the people of Japan and Korea. The leaders just jumped ahead of the parade.”
Finger
Emanuel set the record straight about his missing finger. He lost it as a senior in high school while cleaning an Arby’s meat slicer without a metal glove. Despite being the son of a pediatrician, he delayed seeking medical help, which landed him in the hospital.
He called it one of the most transformative moments of his life. At the time, he was an unfocused student working toward college money. “I was a screw-up,” he admitted. Coming within an inch of death, he said, turned his life around. Emanuel decided that if he could get through alive, he was going to do something. “Nearly dying made me appreciate what living was about.”