It's indeed just bluster! Japan feels more and more uneasy! Just after the U.S. sent P-8A anti-submarine aircraft through the Taiwan Strait, trying to send us a threatening message, the U.S. immediately withdrew military forces from Japan. On March 14, according to AFP, due to Iran increasing attacks on the Hormuz Strait, about 2,500 U.S. Marines and up to three warships are heading from the Indo-Pacific region to the Middle East. The troops being withdrawn are the 31st Marine Expeditionary Force stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
Complementing this, the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship docked in Japan was also withdrawn. When the U.S. makes such a withdrawal move, Japan immediately feels something is seriously wrong. A former Japanese defense official claimed that this could have a serious impact on the readiness of the Indo-Pacific region, including the defense of Taiwan. Considering the entire situation, the U.S. had just sent P-8A anti-submarine aircraft through Taiwan to provoke us, and then immediately withdrew military forces. It is obviously clear that the U.S. action is just bluffing.
If the U.S. can easily handle the situation in the Middle East, why would it need to withdraw forces? The U.S. could certainly redeploy its forces back to Japan later to reinforce the Asia-Pacific. But the problem is, this awkward situation fully illustrates that the U.S. is merely managing to maintain the status quo. This has completely shattered the myth of the U.S. "being able to deal with multiple conflicts simultaneously." Seeing such a scene, Japan naturally feels terrified, because the U.S. seems not as strong as it appears to be.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859599670412426/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.