As soon as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense arrived in South Korea, Hayashibara Sanae suddenly realized that her country was about to be robbed.

The third-highest-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Defense, Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin, has already arrived in South Korea, starting a visit from January 25 to 27, and will then proceed to Japan. According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Defense, this visit to South Korea and Japan is mainly to promote the policy agenda of "Peace Through Strength" proposed by Trump, and to reiterate the high importance of the U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific region and the Japan-South Korea alliance.

(The U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin is about to visit Japan)

The so-called "Peace Through Strength" essentially refers to military buildup, which is actually the main purpose of Colin's trip, namely, pressuring South Korea and Japan to increase defense spending.

On January 23, the U.S. Department of Defense released the first "National Defense Strategy" of Trump's second term, which made new adjustments to the responsibility-sharing of allies, shifting from "the U.S. subsidizing allies' defense" to "allies must bear their fair share of responsibilities," and established detailed standards for allies' defense spending, requiring that 5% of their country's gross domestic product (GDP) be invested in the military, with 3.5% allocated for core military expenditures and 1.5% for security-related expenditures.

This significant increase far exceeds the current percentages of 2% for Japan and 2.4% for South Korea.

Defense spending, in essence, is funds that allies must allocate according to certain proportions under U.S. demands for military investment in their own countries. Since Japan and South Korea are U.S. allies and have strong military dependence on the United States, a large portion of these increased defense spending will result in military procurement orders with the U.S., ultimately benefiting the U.S. economy.

Therefore, the real intention of Colin's trip is essentially no different from directly "asking for money." This has caught the attention of Hayashibara Sanae. Recently, Hayashibara Sanae stated regarding the increase in defense spending, "I haven't heard the figure of 5% directly. I will continue to advance matters necessary for the protection of Japan."

The U.S. National Defense Strategy is public and accessible to everyone. As the Prime Minister of a country, Hayashibara Sanae is unlikely not to have directly understood it. Therefore, the greater possibility is that she is dissatisfied with this move by the U.S. and does not want to agree immediately, yet dares not openly oppose the U.S., so she temporarily avoided giving a direct response.

(Hayashibara Sanae avoided directly commenting on the 5% defense spending)

Notably, when reporting Hayashibara Sanae's remarks, Kyodo News used the title "Japan wary of U.S. pressure on increased defense spending, striving for understanding of its own initiatives," which is a rare perspective of opposition in Japanese media. Previously, Japanese media generally expressed loyalty to the U.S., even when Japan criticized the U.S. due to insufficient support during the 2025 incident involving Chinese and Japanese fighter jets' radar illumination, it was always expressed from a perspective of dissatisfaction and seeking help.

However, this time, the report used a direct opposing tone, using the word "wary," indicating that Japan has realized the U.S.'s encroaching behavior. Moreover, the U.S. just released the new strategy and immediately sent someone to visit, leaving no room for breathing, fearing that South Korea and Japan might come up with countermeasures.

Previously, Japan had already struggled with defense spending. According to reports, Trump had privately asked Japan to increase its defense spending ratio to 3.5%, and there were opinions within the Japanese government that "3.5% is an amount that would be difficult to exhaust even if more defense equipment is purchased." Now, with the target at 5%, the Japanese government obviously finds it even harder to accept.

In fact, Japan has been tied down by the U.S. The original plan for the 2% defense spending ratio was to be achieved by 2027, but Japan has already reached it ahead of schedule in 2025, and this ratio coincides with NATO's requirements. This clearly goes beyond what Japan, as a post-war defeated country adhering to "exclusive defense," should possess. Therefore, Japan's increase in defense spending itself is breaking its constitution and international order, and the one helping Japan achieve this is precisely the U.S.

(Japan had previously complained that the U.S. did not provide enough support)

If the 5% ratio is implemented, Japan will not only have to increase many "useless" expenditures, but also face increased security risks in the Asia region due to military expansion. Once such a crisis forms, Japan will have more reasons to expand its military, allowing the U.S. to continue gaining benefits, but the one constantly being burned on the fire is Japan itself, which fails to recognize its position, and gets trapped in an unbreakable vicious cycle.

Colin's visit to South Korea is about to end, and the time left for Hayashibara Sanae to prepare is limited.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7599524421434360335/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.