The article "Abe's gamble on Trump seen paying off" in the Jan. 20 edition appalled me. It quoted four prominent experts on Japan-U.S. relations who applauded Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for toadying up to U.S. President Donald Trump.
As international relations experts, they focused on the cheap subject of trade. In the turbulent world of today, we are anxious about the spirit of cooperation in the international community to tackle the daunting problems of the 21st century, which have been exacerbated by Trump but seem to be off the experts' radar.
They claim that Abe's flattering of Trump has relieved Japan of the trade conflict Trump promised during his election campaign. The experts seem frozen in the notion that Japan is unable to say "no" to America.
Fortunately, Trump was not seriously concerned about North Korea. Why a man dedicated solely to satisfying his lust should be worried about a war as far as it would not affect his personal fortune?
When North Korea's capability to hit the U.S. mainland with ICBMs became reality, however, Trump's ignorant peace of mind was shaken. As a me-first person, he was forced to seek cooperation from Far East countries to contain North Korea. He returned to the status quo because he needed Japanese cooperation, not because of any initiative by Abe.
Abe should have exerted his so-called relationship of trust with Trump to dissuade him from unnecessarily provoking a conflict with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Abe, however, did the opposite and played up to Trump. As a result, Japan may be dragged obediently into a mad man's unnecessary and cruel war.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.