The American
politician bend for upbraiding Japan about trade issues did not begin
with Donald Trump. It began with Jimmy Carter in 1979, when he began
his run for reelection. President Ronald Reagan made it part of his
platform during his campaign in 1980, during his reelection campaign
in 1984, and throughout his administration. From Carter to Trump
every candidate for presidency has made criticism of Japan's refusal
to negotiate true free trade agreements part of their platform.
Hillary Clinton in June 2015 said to a crowd in Detroit, “The TPP
must be reworked to assure our automobiles will be as accessible in
Japan as their automobiles are here.”
Trump criticizing
Japan on trade issues is part and parcel of US politics, just as
protecting Japan's bloated and subsidized agriculture sector is to
Japanese politics. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his LDP crew need
to stop criticizing the usual rhetoric and begin looking at how Trump
is much better for Japan than Clinton would have and Bush and Obama
failed Japan.
It is true that Bush
and Koizumi shared a rare bromance that few presidents of the USA and
prime ministers of Japan ever did. Bush also failed to back Japan
for a UN resolution against North Korea to demand return of remains
and release the whereabouts of abducted Japanese citizens in North
Korea. Bush also failed to implement a missile defense shield for
Japan due to Chinese objections.
Obama did visit
Hiroshima last year but it was an empty political gesture since it
was reciprocation for Emperor Akihito visiting Pearl Harbor during
June 2014 and also as a thank you for Prime Minister Abe agreeing to
visit Pearl Harbor last year. Obama's policies that enabled China to
expand territory and failing to demand Chinese military stay out of
Japan's territories caused Japan more trouble than an empty visit to
Hiroshima was worth.
Trump is willing to
back Japan in two areas that Japan needs. One, the renegotiation of
the Status of Forces Agreement rushed out by President Clinton and
Prime Minister Maruyama in 1995. Two, the desire to put an end to
North Korean military aggression once and for all.
The Status of Forces
agreement that Clinton and Maruyama rushed into signing in 1995
before Japanese Diet elections has been a thorn in both nations. For
Japan it has caused continual confrontation between Okinawa and
Tokyo. Okinawans are tired of shouldering over 80% of US military
forces in Japan and do not want an expansion of bases. Tokyo has
taken a “shut up do as we say” attitude toward Okinawa. When
Okinawan Governor, Takeshi Onaga, flew to Washington DC to visit
President Trump in February, he received an assurance by Trump to
look into the issue. Trump spoke with Abe just recently in Germany
about re-looking at SOFA to perhaps ease Okinawa's situation. This
is more than Clinton, Bush, or Obama ever offered.
As North Korea keeps
firing missiles daily, Trump has ordered US military forces to begin
setting up the missile defense shield and has put the USS Vincent
aircraft carrier group off the coast of North Korea in South Korean
and Japanese waters. These actions are much more action than Bush or
Obama ever even conceived of putting into motion.
Trump sees Japan as
an important ally and is showing actual motions to prove such. Abe
and his LDP posse need to recognize the reality that Trump is much
better for Japan than any US president has been since Ronald Reagan.
Trump's bluster is easily ignored and his actions speak much loader
than the rhetoric puked out by Clinton, Bush, and Obama. They spoke
in kind terms but their actions did more to hurt Japan's security and
stability than Trump speaking the truth - that when it comes to trade
Japan has a poor track record.
Trump is refusing a
nuclear armed North Korea and is showing willingness to fight for
that, and that is alone is what is best for Japan. Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State did nothing to confront North Korea. Trump has made it clear North Korea will be confronted - including military intervention. Clinton, Bush,
and Obama all failed in that respect and thus Japan is in the
situation on North Korea in all fronts Abe is contending with.
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