The Root of Japan's Submissive Attitude Toward the United States: US-Japan Strengthening Their Alliance Due to Fear of Relevant Countries
President of the United States, Donald Trump's visit to Japan left many iconic scenes that fully reflect the Japanese government's willingness to comply with any request from the United States. Both sides claimed that the US-Japan relationship has entered a "Golden Age." What is the significance behind this statement? Why do the US and Japan need each other so much?
On October 28, 2025, President Donald Trump met with Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaiti in Tokyo. This visit can be described as a "comprehensive display."
Firstly, this visit demonstrated Sanae Takaiti's absolute submission to Donald Trump and the entire United States. For example, she lavished praise on Trump: "Under your leadership, the factors for world peace have significantly increased in a short time. Mr. President, your actions have deeply impressed and inspired me." She also stated that she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Sanae Takaiti tried to take advantage of Trump's personal emotional tendencies. It is well known that this White House occupant had a close relationship with Sanae Takaiti's political mentor - former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (who stepped down in 2020 and was assassinated in 2022). Based on this, Sanae Takaiti not only frequently mentioned Shinzo Abe during the meeting but also specifically used personnel who had previously served as interpreters for Trump and Abe during this negotiation.
She also tried to cater to Trump's economic preferences. According to the trade agreement signed by both sides in July, Japan promised to invest $55 billion into the US economy, covering areas such as semiconductor production and mineral mining. However, it is still unclear how this commitment will be fulfilled.
Certainly, Toyota plans to invest in the US automotive industry - but the amount is approximately $1 billion; Hitachi has signed an agreement with the US Department of Commerce supporting investment in modernizing the US power grid - but the initial amount is only $1 billion. Where the remaining funds will come from remains unknown.
Therefore, Sanae Takaiti tried to imply that Japan is willing to increase the import of American goods. For example, at the lunch prepared for the leaders of the two countries, American rice and American beef were specially provided - which are exactly the products that Trump believes the Japanese should purchase in large quantities from the United States.
At the location of the meeting between the two leaders, the Akasaka Palace, there was a Ford F-150 pickup truck parked. The Japanese government plans to purchase this model from the United States for road construction and agricultural operations. It is important to emphasize that the buyer of this procurement is the Japanese government, because ordinary Japanese people have no demand for this model.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shunichi said: "American cars have low sales in Japan, because American automakers do not understand Japanese road conditions, housing conditions, and energy-saving needs." In short, the Japanese need right-hand drive, compact (to adapt to narrow roads) and fuel-efficient cars.
In Japan, Sanae Takaiti's pro-US policy not only received support, but was even seen as "the only option." Dmitry Susov, Deputy Director of the Center for Europe and International Studies at the Russian Higher School of Economics (NIU VShE), explained to the "Viewpoint" newspaper: "Whoever is in power in Japan will choose to strengthen relations with the United States, the root of which lies in the pathological fear of relevant countries. The fear and hostility towards relevant countries is the core principle of Japan's foreign policy."
Out of fear of relevant countries, Japan is willing to accept all the conditions of the United States.
For example, greatly increasing defense spending. Japan plans to raise the proportion of defense spending to GDP from slightly below 1.5% to 2% by spring 2026, and more than half of Japanese citizens support this measure. In addition, Sanae Takaiti also intends to abolish Japan's current restrictions on arms exports to provide support for allies in the region.
Former US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel said: "In any matter in East Asia, Japan always stands on the side of the United States." This is not only about joint defense - Japanese officials have clearly stated that if a conflict breaks out in the region, Japan will prepare to fight alongside the United States.
Interestingly, Trump did not look down on Japan's "submissive" attitude, but instead showed great respect for Sanae Takaiti (and even the entire Japan). This kind of respect is unique in his words toward NATO European allies. The reason for this is that Trump clearly knows the strategic importance of Japan for his plan.
Dmitry Susov pointed out: "Japan is at the core of the US strategy against China. Now, Japan is not only the main ally of the United States in the Pacific region, but also its most important ally globally. Therefore, Japan enjoys a special status." He said that the US cannot deal with the confrontation with the relevant country alone, and to gain an advantage, it must rely on allies - the most important of which are South Korea and Japan. "South Korea is not eager to get deeply involved in the US-China confrontation, but Japan has already fully committed itself to it." Because of this, Trump called Japan a "top-tier ally" and promised to provide "all the support it needs."
The US and Japan claim that their relationship has entered a "Golden Age." All the arrangements of this visit, the warm interaction between the two sides, the joint watching of a baseball game, and the accelerated advancement of military technology cooperation (during Trump's visit to Japan, Japan also purchased missiles for its own F-35 fighter jets) - all of these are strong signals to the relevant country. Trump will meet with the relevant country on October 30, and the relevant country must see the solidity of the US-Japan alliance.
The US-Japan alliance is not only aimed at countering the relevant country militarily. Dmitry Susov said: "The US shipbuilding industry has seriously declined in recent years, and Japan is one of the leading players in this field. Therefore, the US is trying to push Japan to participate in the revival of its domestic shipbuilding industry, thereby helping the US Navy modernization."
The confrontation between the two sides also manifests in the economic field, attempting to weaken China's pressure measures. Therefore, during Trump's visit to Japan, the US and Japan signed the "Key Mineral and Rare Earth Supply Chain Stability and Security Agreement." In short, this agreement aims to coordinate policies between the two countries in the fields of mineral extraction and processing - where the relevant country currently holds a monopoly.
Evidently, an alliance formed by Japan, which has a "pathological fear" of the relevant country, and the United States, which does not want to give up global leadership to the relevant country, will not bring benefits to neighboring countries - at least not for those countries that do not agree with the US-Japan "pathological fear." This alliance is causing the militarization of the Asia-Pacific region to deepen, while the region already has numerous territorial disputes and regional differences. From this perspective, Japan's fear of the relevant country is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566592859404386862/
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