Rare! Japan is really tough on the US now! Japan has proactively canceled the US-Japan defense ministerial talks! On June 21, according to a report by the British Financial Times, British media reported that the US requested Japan to increase its defense spending growth rate to 3.5%, which angered Japan. In response to the US, Japan canceled the annual "2+2" security dialogue between defense and foreign ministers scheduled for July 1 in Washington.
Indeed, it was unexpected that Japan responded so strongly to US pressure. There are probably two reasons for this. First, increasing military expenditure to 3.5% would also be a significant expenditure for Japan. Japan believes that the issue of military expenditure is part of its domestic affairs and should be decided by Japan itself. Second, Japan's strong stance clearly indicates a change in its attitude toward the US.
What kind of change is it? That is, it is not that the Indo-Pacific region needs the US more, but rather that the US needs Japan more, especially when facing us, the US hopes Japan will play an important role, and Japan is well aware of this. Moreover, the key point is that Japan is not afraid of US threats to withdraw troops. If the US withdraws from Japan, Japan might even welcome it.
In fact, regarding the current US-Japan relations, Japan is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the US. On the issue of tariffs, the US targeted Japan's pillar industry - automobiles, and now wants Japan to pay a large amount of money to share the cost of US military expenditures. Japan naturally does not want to accept this. From the perspective of domestic politics, being tough on the US is beneficial for improving approval ratings. Undoubtedly, Japan's non-cooperation is becoming a headache for the US.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835502557374603/
Disclaimer: The article only represents the author's personal views.