‘It’s frightening’: Japanese digest Donald Trump’s victory in US election

Japanese people have reacted with shock and disbelief at the outcome of the US presidential election – and concern about what Donald Trump’s victory will mean for the relationship between Tokyo and Washington.

A study conducted in the weeks running up to what has been described as the most vicious election in US history showed that the Japanese public was firmly on the side of Hillary Clinton. The research, commissioned by the South China Morning Post, showed that 88 per cent of Japanese voters favoured the Democratic Party candidate – with a mere 7 per cent of Japanese professing a positive personal impression of her Republican rival.

Watch: Trump receives concession call from Clinton

“I am worried,” said Hiroko Moriwaki, a librarian who lives in Tokyo.

“Clinton seemed to have a good lead in the polls not long ago, but as we got closer to election day we began to see more and more on television American people expressing just how disappointed they were in their situation and just how much they personally disliked her,” she said.

“And I was equally surprised at how positively people were reacting to Trump’s speeches,” she added.

Emi Doi, a journalist with the Nippon.com web site, said Trump’s victory was “scary”.