My friend leaned back, perplexed. “The Japanese don’t seem very concerned about Trump,” he said, equal parts question and comment. “At least, compared to the Europeans.”
I checked the impulse to boot up the lecture on Japanese insecurity and Tokyo’s hedging. and pondered his statement. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that he might be right.
After all, the official line from the Japanese government is that the relationship is good. In March, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed “full confidence” that the U.S. will fulfill its obligations under the mutual security treaty and defend Japan, “using all available capabilities, including nuclear ones.” That statement came after Trump again questioned the pact, claiming that the U.S. was obliged to defend Japan while Tokyo had no such responsibility.
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