American voters in Japan remained divided on the day of the U.S. presidential election over who they believed should lead their country over the next four years ¡ª a reflection of the nation¡¯s heightened political polarization.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump declared victory at his campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, shortly before 2:30 a.m. Eastern time, after major U.S. media projected him to win the 19 electoral votes belonging to Pennsylvania ¡ª one of the most strongly fought battleground states.

In his 25-minute speech, Trump called his win a ¡°political victory¡± that the country ¡°has never seen before,¡± and vowed to fight for a ¡°strong, safe and prosperous America.¡±