Japan and South Korea have pledged to work with the new US administration as the former president. Donald Trump is poised to win the election and return to the White House.

Trump, who was previously a twice impeached president serving one term from 2017 to 2021, completed the the greatest political comeback in modern U.S. history in the early hours of Wednesday, winning enough votes to defeat the vice president Kamala Harris.

Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, said Under Trump’s “strong leadership”, the future of the South Korea-US alliance would shine brighter. “I look forward to working closely with you,” he wrote in an article on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday.

Shigeru Ishiba, who was elected prime minister of Japan a month ago, told reporters he hoped to work with Trump to elevate the alliance and bilateral relations to a higher level. “I will work hard to establish a relationship with him as soon as possible.”

In a post on X, the Japanese leader said he looked forward to working closely with Trump to further strengthen the alliance and cooperate to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Japan and South Korea are U.S. security allies in Northeast Asia, where they are both under the protection of U.S. military power. including nuclear weaponsto confront the threats posed by North Korea. Pyongyang tested its the largest nuclear missile on October 31.

Washington’s alliances with Seoul and Tokyo are expected to face uncertainty as Trump has asserted that the allies should pay their share on defense. South Korea expressed concern over Trump’s return would weaken the US nuclear response in North Korea.

“President Trump has been the only president to bring peace and he will do so again when he returns to the White House,” a Trump campaign spokesperson said. News week.

THE American military has deployed forces to its two allies in Northeast Asia, where 54,000 And 28,500 personnel are stationed in Japan and South Korea respectively, including a carrier-led strike group, the USS George Washingtonwhat will be base in Japan.

Tokyo wants to build “a strong relationship of trust and cooperation” with the next US administration and further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-US alliance, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in Seoul, the South Korean government said it would strive to establish “a perfect security posture between South Korea and the United States” with the new U.S. administration to ensure its national security , according to principal deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo.