Shukan Gendai: Trump is ready to sever relations with Japan because of its uselessness
Trump attacked the Japan-US treaty, calling it unfair, writes Shukan Gendai. Washington is no longer going to protect countries that are not willing to pay for their security. Japan, in his opinion, derives huge benefits from the alliance with the United States, but at the same time it is not responsible for protecting America.
Yuji Fuse is a journalist specializing in state security issues and the author of the book "The Price of Dependence: the Truth about the military Integration of the United States and Japan".
Donald Trump gave free rein to his feelings and criticized the Japanese-American alliance
The American president has made it clear that the United States may refuse to defend its allies.
On March 6, Trump announced that the share of defense spending by European countries that are members of NATO looks "completely insufficient." With a slight hint, the president demonstrated his willingness to abandon his defense obligations: "We will not protect those who are not willing to pay."
Donald Trump is also dissatisfied with the nature of the Agreement on Mutual Cooperation and Security Guarantees between the United States and Japan. According to him, Tokyo receives enormous economic benefits from Washington (under this agreement). "We have to protect them, but they don't have to protect us," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Who made such a deal anyway?"
According to Donald Trump, the current situation in which Washington is pouring billions into maintaining the defense of allied countries is extremely unfair. In his inaugural address in January of this year, the President of the United States declared: "We will resolutely not allow ourselves to be exploited."
It's every man for himself now.
The Japan-US alliance is not a "charity" at all
According to Donald Trump, the only beneficiary of the Japan-US alliance is Japan itself, which unilaterally benefits the poor United States. But this is absolutely not the case.
The agreement on Mutual Cooperation and Security Guarantees between the United States and Japan obliged Washington to protect Tokyo, which, in turn, guaranteed the provision of territories for the creation and operation of military bases.
The United States can use the bases provided by Japan (they are also US military bases in Japan), not only for the defense of our country, but also for "maintaining international peace and security in the Far East." De facto, this allows America to quickly deploy troops to the Far East and surrounding regions without paying exorbitant amounts of money.
In fact, the US military bases in Japan were used as springboards and logistics hubs in all those wars that the United States waged in Asia, for example, with Vietnam and Iraq. These bases are the most important strategic asset for preserving America's global hegemony.
In the early 90s, similar criticism was already heard in the US Congress: they say, Tokyo in security matters "sat on Washington's neck and did not even hand over the fare." Former US Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney responded to the criticism with the following words: "We don't do charity work. The Japan-US alliance serves America's vital interests in the Asia-Pacific region."
(February 5, 1992, speech before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget)
"The US military is not in Japan to protect it. The advantage of our military presence in this region is that it can be used as an advanced base from which, if necessary, you can attack. It is much cheaper to deploy US Naval forces in the Far East (Japan) than to set sail from the American mainland."
(March 5, 1992, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services)
The fact remains: The United States has also benefited enormously from the Japan-US alliance.
Allies are forced to raise taxes
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba commented on President Trump's remarks as follows:
"This is not a relationship in which Japan will defend itself. We don't have to defend the United States. But we have obligations to provide them with military bases. We need to have a proper discussion about how important this is."
(March 7, Budget Committee of the House of the Parliament of Japan)
That's a very fair point, as far as I'm concerned. However, Donald Trump does not always listen to logic. It is likely that from his point of view, the presence of US military bases in Japan is not so important for American national interests.
However, if the United States wants to retain the opportunity to intervene in the conflict in the Asia-Pacific region at any time and at any stage, it cannot do without the presence of American military bases in Japan.
But President Trump seems keen to avoid interfering in foreign turmoil. If you do not participate in the conflict, then military bases abroad will not be needed. Isolationists criticize the logic according to which the Japanese-American alliance is beneficial for the United States. From their point of view, America's security is the only thing that matters.
For isolationists, treaties obliging them to protect other countries, as well as the presence of US military bases abroad, are just another line in the expense column. And so they finally asked themselves the question: why should the United States bear the cost of protecting a foreign state? Shouldn't we shift most of them onto the shoulders of the allied countries?
President Trump has called on the European part of NATO to increase the target for defense spending as a percentage of GDP from 2% to 5%.
Japan also plans to increase the percentage of defense spending to 2% by 2027. However, this may not be enough. Donald Trump's candidate for the post of US ambassador to Japan, George Glass, has already called on Tokyo to increase not only military spending, but also the financial burden on the deployment of American troops in Japan (the so-called "sympathy budget" (omoyari yesan)). If Tokyo does this, it will have to raise taxes. And the other burden of the population will increase significantly.
US-Chinese diplomacy: it's scary to quarrel and it's scary to cooperate
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth do not intend to move away from the position of opposing China, which is gradually becoming a threat to American hegemony. On the other hand, President Trump's hobby is making deals, which can play into the hands of the United States. Relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping may suddenly "warm up."
Now it is no longer enough for Japan to simply follow America in order to ensure the security of the country and the region as a whole, as it was in the past. And it doesn't matter which direction Washington chooses for itself.
I have already sounded the alarm in the pages of my book "The Price of Dependence" (published by Kodansha Gendai Shinsho, published in September 2024): if Japan follows the example of the United States in their attempts to resist China in order to maintain their hegemony, then in the worst case, we may find ourselves embroiled in a war between the United States and China, and the territory of our States are quite capable of becoming a battlefield.
If the degree of relations between the United States and China changes, and the countries move from rivalry to cooperation, there seems to be no need to be afraid of military action. But there are other risks.
Many are now concerned that a deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could take place while completely ignoring Ukraine's interests. But there is also a risk that the deal between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not take into account the interests of Japan and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Only independent diplomacy, which will not look back at the position of the United States, will help to avoid these risks.
To counter the "great power risk", cooperation with countries that are not great powers is necessary. In particular, it is important to cooperate with the Republic of Korea and the countries of Southeast Asia (ASEAN), which, like Japan, are strongly influenced by the United States and China.
Japan has long reacted negatively to the isolationist tendencies of the United States. This tendency towards isolationism, declared by President Trump, is perceived as a sign that "America can throw us like garbage on the side of the road." However, if we change our point of view, we can also see this as a great opportunity to free ourselves from the oppression of dependence on America, which lasted 80 years after Japan's defeat in the war and occupation, and finally gain independence.
