WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- Japan-related issues are not likely to be high on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's to-do list once he takes office on Jan. 20, but for him to achieve his policy objectives, the country's role as a reliable partner may expand as China remains a focal point for his second term.

This is the view of Glen S. Fukushima, a prominent expert on U.S.-Japan relations who spoke in a recent interview with Kyodo News on what Trump's agenda could look like in 2025 and the possible implications for Asia.

"I think Japan is not very high on the list of priorities for President Trump," Fukushima said, noting that hardly any issues associated with the country came up during his presidential campaign ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

Fukushima, 75, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, predicted that domestic issues such as border security and cutting taxes for individuals and businesses will initially be the center of attention for Trump.

On the diplomatic front, he said Trump will likely be busy with efforts to bring peace to Ukraine and the Middle East, gain the upper hand in the U.S. competition with China and reach out to North Korea.

"I don't anticipate that the Trump administration is going to immediately demand something of Japan," Fukushima said, although he noted that the president-elect, as in his first term, will want Tokyo and other U.S. allies and partners to boost their defense spending and rectify bilateral trade imbalances.

Still, given that U.S. ties with some countries and organizations, including China and NATO, could undergo major shifts under Trump's second presidency, he said that "to the extent those changes come about, they could indirectly affect Japan."

Fukushima, who has been serving as vice chair of the Securities Investor Protection Corp. since he was confirmed by the Senate in 2022, said there will likely be pressure on Japan to cooperate further with the United States if the Trump administration decides to implement additional trade restrictions on semiconductors and other strategic sectors.

In agreement with other pundits, however, Fukushima observed it is not easy to predict what Trump will do, partly because he appears to be more confident than when he first took office as a political newcomer in 2017.

Whereas his first administration included experienced officials who sometimes opposed him on policy issues, Trump has been giving many top jobs to loyalists ahead of his second term.

Moreover, uncertainties abound in any scenario as personal relations and preferences tend to play a pivotal role in Trump's decision-making process, and his diplomacy is known to be transactional.

Nonetheless, what seems almost certain is that his second presidency will adopt a tougher stance on China than past U.S. administrations.

Based on a meeting he recently attended in Manila, Fukushima said many Asian countries are "very concerned" that tensions may escalate between China and the United States.

"For example, some countries such as the Philippines face security tensions with China, but China is such a huge, dominant economic presence in the region that all Asian countries want to avoid having to take sides between the United States and China," he said.

"The countries of Asia basically want a stable environment in which they can do business and prosper economically," said the former senior official in charge of China and Japan at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, who has extensive international networks in both public and private circles.

In light of the geopolitical and economic dynamics, he pointed out that while Japan does not desire U.S.-China conflict, it also does not want Washington and Beijing to become so friendly as to create a so-called Group of Two.

"This could marginalize Japan and cause it to be less important to both the United States and China," he said, adding there may be times when billionaire Elon Musk and other influential Trump supporters with specific business interests in China could prod the U.S. leader to be more accommodating toward Beijing.

Fukushima, who was based in Asia for 22 years while representing one European and four American global companies after leaving government service, also said, "My observation is that the U.S. government's knowledge of China is not that great."

Regardless of the administration, said Fukushima, whose time at USTR was under the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, the United States has not had many senior officials who could speak or read Chinese or who had ever lived in the country.

In contrast, Japan -- especially its business community -- knows "in great detail about recent developments in China, and so there is considerable intelligence and advice that Japan could share with the United States," he said.

He added Japan is "much more realistic" about China than the United States, which tends to go through "extreme ideological swings" between friendliness and hostility toward China.

Just a few years ago, Washington was optimistic that, with increasing trade, investment and engagement, China's politics would become more democratic and that its economy would become more open and capitalistic, although now there are virtually no voices in the U.S. capital advocating such a view.

Whether the Trump administration will be receptive to advice from Japan is an open question, yet Fukushima said it is worthwhile for the country to offer its input.

Trump's picks for key positions, including Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state and Rep. Michael Waltz for national security adviser, have a history of being hawkish on China.

While Rubio and Waltz are expected to steer the Trump administration toward stern actions against China, the seasoned expert said it would be "very positive" for the alliance if Japan shares its candid views of China with such officials.

Additionally, with political uncertainty in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law in early December, Fukushima stated that the incoming U.S. administration will continue to regard Japan as its "most stable and reliable ally in Asia."