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By Shane Croucher and Sophie Clark
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President Donald Trump questioned in the Oval Office on Thursday night why the U.S. "has to protect Japan" but "they don't have to protect us," before asking: "Who makes these deals?"
The answer to who makes these deals is a simple one: the United States. Following World War II, American General Douglas MacArthur dismantled the Japanese military. Now, Japan has a volunteer self-defense force which trains like a military, but only has the legal ability to protect Japan, not to engage in expansionism or defend other countries outside of its borders.
The U.S. and Japan also negotiated the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty between 1951 and 1960, which gives the U.S. the right to maintain military bases in Japan so that it has a presence in Asia, so long as it protects Japan if the nation is attacked.
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Why It Matters
Trump recently blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of "gambling with World War III," but does not appear to remember a crucial detail of the aftermath of World War II.
There is also a significant military presence on the Japanese island of Okinawa due to its proximity to Taiwan, which the U.S. has agreed to protect from a threatened Chinese invasion.
After seeing how the U.S. has pulled support for Ukraine, Taiwan is now in a situation where the Taiwanese government has to question whether it can rely on American defense.
What To Know
What Trump may be bristling about more than the military is Japan's trade surplus over the U.S., creating concern that Japan may be the next target for U.S. tariffs.
Trump has been concerned about what he sees as a trade imbalance between the U.S. and Japan since the 1980s. In 1987, he took out a full-page ad in The New York Times warning people that Japan was "taking advantage" of America.
Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in February and raised the topic of potential tariffs. He also promised to help defend Japan against Chinese "provocative activities" in the South China Sea, something that is now in question following his recent remarks.
During Trump's first term, Japan was led by Shinzo Abe, whom Trump had a close relationship with. The pair liked to play golf together. Now, Ishiba is under pressure to prove he can maintain that same positive relationship with the U.S. leader.
Per the Japan Times, Elbridge Colby, Trump's nominee for undersecretary of defense policy, has been making similar statements about Japanese and Taiwanese protection as Trump has about NATO.
Trump has said many times he believes other NATO countries should pay more into the alliance. Colby has now said that Taiwan and Japan should ramp up their defense spending too.
What People Are Saying
Donald Trump's full remarks: "With Japan, we have a deal, which is a very interesting one. And I love Japan. We have a great relationship with Japan. But we have an interesting deal with Japan that we have to protect them but they don't have to protect us. Did you know that? That's the way the deal reads.
"We have to protect Japan—and, by the way, they make a fortune out of us economically. We have to protect Japan, but under no circumstances do they have to protect us."
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi as quoted in the Japan Times: "Article 5 of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty stipulates that Japan and the U.S. will respond jointly to armed attacks on Japan. Article 6 allows the U.S. to use Japanese facilities to contribute to Japan's security and to maintain international peace and security in the Far East."
What Happens Next
The Trump administration has stated it wants Taiwan to spend 10 percent of its GDP and for Japan to spend 3 percent of its GDP on defense. Right now, Taiwan's defense spending is 2.45 percent of its budget, so it is unclear whether it is possible for the island to spend significantly more than that on defense.
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