Moshi Tora. That’s the compact phrase now spreading like wildfire in Japan. It means “If Trump,” and is often said with a sense of foreboding.

This haiku-like, four-syllable phrase is short for the longer sentence: “What if Trump wins the presidency again?” Tokyo, like many foreign capitals, is in a mild panic over the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House.

Tokyo is worried that the reemergence of Tariff Man will lead to a new reign of tariffs on Japanese goods, as well as renewed bullying to spend more on defense. But Japan’s deepest fear is that former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was gunned down in the summer of 2022 in a rare act of political violence in Japan, is no longer around to manage Trump.

Thanks to Abe’s deft handling of Trump 1.0, Tokyo escaped those chaotic years without too much damage. Abe proved to be, hands down, the best manager of Trump among world leaders.

But Japan’s current low-key prime minister, Fumio Kishida, does not look capable of an Abe-like repeat performance. Nor does any other Japanese politician.

It was not a foregone conclusion that Japan would fare well when Trump became president. Donald Trump made a name for........

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