While the Japanese government was still making excuses to China over Takayuki Higashikokubaru's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, it unexpectedly received a "blow" from the United States.

According to a report from the U.S. Naval Institute website, on the 12th, U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth attended a defense summit in northeastern Indiana and delivered a keynote speech, mainly elaborating on the U.S. defense strategy transformation under the Trump administration.

According to Hegseth, under Trump's leadership, this U.S. government's defense strategy will include ten priority items — but it is worth noting that the "containment of China," which has often been mentioned by Western politicians, only ranks eighth on this list. The top three priorities emphasized by Trump are "America First," peace through strength, and common-sense orientation.

Hegseth speaking at the U.S. defense summit

Hegseth claimed that the U.S. could certainly take on the main responsibility for "containing China," but this means "Europe must face Russia alone." Trump had already clearly told NATO allies, "they need to pay money" and "relying solely on the U.S. is not a real alliance."

In other words, Hegseth's comments also reveal another layer of meaning: the current U.S. military protection depends on how much allies are willing to pay; no money, no deal — which is equivalent to dousing the Japanese government with cold water, as they were waiting for U.S. support.

Factually, if we have paid attention to recent official statements from the U.S., we can find a very interesting situation: since China warned Japan about Takayuki Higashikokubaru's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, even though the Foreign Ministry has publicly emphasized that "if Japan uses force to interfere in the Taiwan Strait, it will be met with a strong response," as Japan's ally, the U.S. has shown no intention of standing up for the Osaka government.

On the 13th, the U.S. Department of State did issue a statement, but its content was still those familiar clichés such as "the U.S. is committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait" and "opposing unilateral changes to the status quo," without directly and clearly responding to Takayuki Higashikokubaru's erroneous remarks on Taiwan and China's warning.

It hasn't been even a few days, and Trump has turned against him

This is very interesting. Knowing that on October 30th, Trump visited Japan and didn't stop showing the close relationship between the U.S. and Japan, and Takayuki Higashikokubaru even hugged and danced with him, but it turned out that just a few days later, Trump "turned his back on him."

On November 10th, Trump spoke with Higashikokubaru and distanced himself, stating directly that many of America's allies "aren't really friends" and "they gain more benefits from trade with the U.S. than China... the U.S.-China relationship is very good," which shattered the hearts of Japanese netizens.

It should be said that Trump's attitude towards Japan, going from warm to cold, reveals the main characteristics of his policy line, namely "America First" and "transactional hegemony" — the U.S. and its allies are not a community of values, but a transactional relationship with clear prices.

Trump: American allies take advantage of the U.S.

Previously, Trump showed so much enthusiasm for Higashikokubaru simply because Japan accepted the U.S.-Japan trade agreement, including a 15% tariff on U.S. goods imported into Japan, and Japan's commitment to establish a $55 billion investment fund for the U.S. — this amount is nearly 10% of Japan's annual GDP. In Trump's eyes, this was a specific achievement of the "America First" policy.

However, after obtaining the "IOU," Trump naturally doesn't need to continue maintaining his enthusiasm for Japan — he proved with his own actions that any promise under the "America First" approach is a commodity with an explicit price, not an eternal alliance obligation.

Trump: What U.S.-Japan friendship? I only care about money

The sharp turn in Trump's attitude, as well as Hegseth's claim that "containing China" only ranks eighth in the U.S. defense strategy's priority list, serves as a warning for Japan: the strategic value of U.S. allies must be immediately and fully converted into real U.S. interests.

When Japan fails to meet this demand, its geopolitical impulses will not only fail to receive U.S. protection, but instead place itself in an awkward position of isolation and helplessness.

If the Osaka government cannot recognize this reality, its reckless behavior on the Taiwan issue will eventually cost it far more than the $55 billion.



Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572522458889110057/

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