Latest news with #US-Japan
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Japan is stepping back from NATO, not Indo-Pacific ties—China is watching the cracks closely
But this year's NATO summit told a different story. Only New Zealand's Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, is participating. Japan and other key Indo-Pacific countries are conspicuously absent. The gap between Western strategic ambitions and regional realities is on full display. Japan also cancelled its 2+2 security talks with the US, a telling signal of unease about Washington's relentless push for Tokyo to ramp up defence spending. A commentary published on Baidu Baijiahao pointed to NATO's evolution from a regional defence bloc into what is now seen as an overstretched force projecting power far beyond the North Atlantic. Japan's increasing proximity to NATO and its willingness to speak on China's internal affairs are cast as foreign interference with potentially destabilising consequences. On the Chinese microblogging site, Weibo , a post framed Japan's engagement with NATO as part of an inflated China threat narrative. China has long criticised the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, for drawing Indo-Pacific countries—Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand—into its orbit. From Beijing's perspective, this marks a troubling effort to export Western military influence to Asia and to contain China's rise. Among Chinese observers, the prospect of Japan aligning more closely with NATO has sparked particular concern. Japan rethinking Western ties Pan Wanli, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, described Japan as a 'springboard' for foreign powers seeking to enter the Asia-Pacific. He warned that it's a strategy that could escalate geopolitical rivalry and threaten regional stability. Another commentator branded Japan as the cornerstone of American hegemony in East Asia. But there is a shift in the tone of Chinese discourse: Japan may be slowly distancing itself from its traditional role as the West's most reliable partner in Asia. What once seemed like temporary hesitation now appears to some Chinese analysts as a deeper strategic rethink. With President Donald Trump consumed by multiple global crises and his desire to be a peacemaker, the Indo-Pacific seems to have slipped from Washington's immediate focus, and Tokyo is paying attention. Chinese reporter Zhao Shifeng noted Japan's abrupt backpedalling on the 2+2 talks—once seen as a diplomatic priority—as a sign of growing discomfort with the direction of the US-Japan alliance. From Beijing's vantage point, Japan's reluctance to deepen ties with NATO and increased military exchanges speaks volumes. For Chinese observers, Japan's approach signals a delicate balancing act: staying engaged, while laying low key, resisting entanglement in a new great-power rivalry, and avoiding being on the US' side in the Iran-Israel conflict. This is not merely caution. Chinese analysts frame it as a broader strategic awakening: a resistance to Cold War-style blocs imposed by external powers. Xiang Haoyu, a researcher in the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies, China Institute of International Studies, described Japan as NATO's vanguard in the Asia-Pacific. But he argues the alliance is fraying under the weight of American pressure, ranging from defence spending demands to trade barriers. Already burdened by debt and demographic challenges, Xiang says, Japan has resisted calls to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. It remains constrained by its pacifist constitution and dependency on the US. As Xiang sees it, 'America First' is pushing allies too far, demanding more while offering less. Another strand in Chinese commentary argues that the alliance has become a numbers game. By tying coordination to military budgets, the US has turned a cooperative relationship into a zero-sum contest, one that Japan is increasingly unwilling to play at the cost of economic stability and public welfare. Also read: NATO chief expresses concern over China's rapid military buildup in Taiwan Investing in regional ties Despite the US drift, Japan is not stepping back from the region. It is stepping up, and on its own terms. Chinese commentators have noted Tokyo's subtle but deliberate efforts to reconfigure its Indo-Pacific role, embracing a more independent and self-defined strategy. Young Chinese scholars—Li Jiaxing, Zhao Jingyuan, Yang Xiaojie, and Wu Xiang—have identified Japan's Indo-Pacific strategy as one rooted in maritime strength. They argue, Japan is consciously positioning itself apart from land-based continental powers, investing in naval capabilities and regional defence integration. Its goal is clear: to unite like-minded maritime states to balance China's growing clout. There is growing realisation in China that Japan, while cautious with the US, is deepening ties with regional partners like India, Australia, and the Philippines. Its defence diplomacy is expanding beyond formal alliances, Japan is holding joint exercises with the Philippines and participating in the Malabar naval drills alongside India. A Weibo post warned that Japan and the Philippines are tightening their coordination and preparing for joint military action against China. Whether or not that is hyperbole, the perception is that Japan's defence outreach is accelerating. In a move that caught the attention of Chinese media, Japan plans to deliver defence equipment to eight countries, namely Thailand, Tonga, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. This initiative spans Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, covering what one post colourfully described as 'half the geography textbook.' From Beijing's perspective, the Japan-US alliance remains a concern. While Trump's diminished focus on the Indo-Pacific may offer temporary relief, it does not fundamentally change the regional equation or threat perception. Even in America's partial absence, Japan is holding the fort, taking the lead in collective defence and playing an increasingly active role in maintaining the region's fragile security balance. Sana Hashmi is fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation. She tweets @sanahashmi1. Views are personal. (Edited by Ratan Priya)
Qatar Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Failed Japan deal highlights US trade negotiation challenges
Agencies The United States failed this week to reach a tariff deal with Japan, a key Pacific Rim ally, and has threatened to notify multiple countries of new duty rates on imports after talks with only one, the United Kingdom, have shown any results. Those developments, which made the US look weak in the short term, should prompt China to take a harder line with Washington on reaching a deal, analysts said. China, the world's second-largest economy, was hit especially hard by US President Donald Trump on April 2, which he dubbed 'Liberation Day', when he raised duties on Chinese imports to more than 100 per cent. Citing concerns over US trade deficits, he also imposed double-digit tariffs on imports from many other Asian nations. Country-specific 'Liberation Day' tariffs were put on hold for 90 days the following week – until July 9 for most countries – pending trade negotiations. Following talks in Switzerland in early May, those on China were also paused for 90 days, until August 12. Beijing's negotiators would draw strength from the US threat to notify trading partners of new duties and the lack of a US-Japan deal because both showed it was hard for Washington to get what it wanted through talks this summer, said Chen Zhiwu, chair professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong. 'These kinds of threats should embolden the Chinese negotiators because it's a sign of desperation,' Chen said. Threats of letters that would unilaterally announce recalibrated tariffs on target countries and the lack of a Japan deal meant the US had 'not gained much ground' in negotiations around the world, he added. On the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made 'little headway in bridging gaps over tariffs', Kyodo News reported. Trump told reporters last week that Washington would send other countries letters that establish new US tariff rates despite ongoing negotiations with 17 major trading partners. The sheer number of tariff deals being sought was 'creating capacity constraints for US trade negotiators' as the 90-day pauses wound down, said Rajiv Biswas, CEO of the Asia-Pacific Economics research group in Singapore. The UK deal – Trump's first since April 2 – obliges the UK to lower certain non-tariff barriers on US goods and holds out the prospect that British exports of steel and aluminium could be exempted from US tariffs, pending further talks. The UK was exempted from a doubling of US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to 50 per cent early this have described the UK deal content as thin, with the Brookings think tank calling it 'less a done deal than a first instalment in ongoing negotiations'. Unilateral changes in US tariff rates would show that the 90-day negotiation periods allowed too little time for deal making, said Jayant Menon, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
Business Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Japan says no US demand for defence spending worth 3.5% of GDP
[TOKYO] Japan denied a report that the US directly asked Tokyo to raise its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of annual gross domestic product, with its top government spokesperson saying that the amount of spending was less important than how Japan raises its military capabilities. 'Regarding defence spending, there's no truth to that,' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference on Monday (Jun 23) when asked about a Financial Times (FT) report that a senior Pentagon official had told Japan to boost military spending. The comments come as US President Donald Trump's administration ramps up pressure on its allies to boost defence spending amid mounting global security concerns. Tensions continue to build with conflict in the Middle East intensifying, Russia's war in Ukraine rumbling on and China continuing to intimidate its neighbours through military activity. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a security conference in late May that US allies in Asia should boost total spending related to defence, warning that more urgency is needed to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan. 'Nato members are pledging to spend 5 per cent of their GDP on defence – even Germany,' Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. 'So it doesn't make sense for countries in Europe to do that while key allies in Asia spend less on defence.' A Pentagon spokesperson told Japanese media outlets last week that the 5 per cent goal should apply to Japan. Nato countries formally approved the plan at their summit meeting over the week, setting a target for defence spending at 5 per cent of GDP. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has framed that target as spending of 3.5 per cent on core defence items such as weapons, and an additional 1.5 per cent in defence-related spending such as cybersecurity and infrastructure. In his comments, Hayashi also pushed back against the FT's claim that Tokyo scrapped a meeting of US-Japan defence and foreign affairs ministers in response to the US demand. 'The date for the next Japan-US 2+2 meeting has yet to be decided,' the spokesperson said. According to the FT report, Tokyo decided to put off that meeting after the spending demand from a senior Pentagon official. That demand, reportedly issued by Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defence for policy, comes as Japan is working towards raising its defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP by 2027 from its long-held stance of keeping it around 1 per cent. BLOOMBERG
CNBC
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- CNBC
It's in Trump's interest to get a deal with Japan: Analyst
David Boling of Eurasia Group says the Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel 'golden share' concept is a one-off deal. He also discusses the latest on US-Japan trade talks, and the importance of automakers and auto tariffs in the negotiations.
AllAfrica
19-06-2025
- Business
- AllAfrica
Iran diplomacy as cover for decapitation
Subscribe now with a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. Trump's coercive turn risks disastrous war with Iran Nile Bowie analyzes the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, which threatens to drag Washington into another open-ended regime change war in the Middle East. Unless the US restrains Israel and reestablishes credible diplomacy, the conflict could spiral into a quagmire with global repercussions. Washington's Iran ultimatum bolsters Kremlin hardliners James Davis assesses how the Israel-Iran war is emboldening hardliners in Moscow and diverting global attention and weapons away from Kiev. Russian elites interpret recent US diplomacy as insincere and believe Trump is either unwilling or unable to negotiate a fair settlement. Nippon Steel acquires US Steel minus one 'Golden Share' Scott Foster evaluates Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion acquisition of US Steel, with unprecedented political oversight built into a 'Golden Share' agreement granting the US government veto power over key decisions. The acquisition offers mutual industrial benefits amid ongoing US-Japan tariff disputes.
