Sober on Trump Administration

While they were highly skeptical on American choice of the extremism in Presidential campaign, the Japanese are getting realistic about the possibility of President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. In the meeting with Editorial Board of Washington Post, Trump articulated his frustration with spending of U.S. for Japanese security. The Japanese are starting imagining the day Japan will be left behind.

It has been commonly noticed in Japan that Trump had a little knowledge about Japan, or policies to Asia. Most Japanese realized that he could not distinguish Japan from China or South Korea. Actually, Trump has not been involved in foreign policy, or Asian policy so much. But, the fact is, unfortunate for foreign countries, that the candidate has accumulated victories in the state by state.

Trump’s meeting with Washington Post can be the opportunity for him to comprehensively address his notion on international relations. The baseline was that U.S. could no longer be the super power. “I think we were a very powerful, very wealthy country. And we’re poor country now. We’re a debtor nation. How you going to get rid – let me ask you – how are you going to get rid of $21 trillion in debt?” told Trump.

Trump refused to see a benefit of having military bases in South Korea and Japan, saying “I personally don’t think so.” “I have great relationships with South Korea. I have buildings in South Korea. But that’s a wealthy country. They make the ships, the make the televisions, they make the air conditioning. They make tremendous amounts of products. It’s a huge, it’s a massive Industrial complex country,” told Trump. It is not hard to imagine that he had the same idea on Japan, too.

So, Trump questioned why the host nation support for U.S. troops stationed in Japan and South Korea did not cover 100% of all their cost. On Senkaku Islands, his comment could not make much sense. “Okay, if I say ‘Well, we should go in and do this or do that,’ I don’t want to, I don’t want to sort of… red flag all over it. I do think this: It’s an unbelievable thing that they’ve done, it’s unbelievable aggression, it’s unbelievable lack of respect for this country,” said Trump. The Japanese must be careful about what kind of message Trump has sent to China.

Having said that, no Japanese has vote for U.S. election. The officials in Japanese government begin to realize that no one can stop Trump in the primaries. Japanese diplomats expect some adjustments by policy staffs who reach Trump with hope of the post of Trump administration. But, it will not be as reliable as any previous post-war U.S. administration anyway.