Controversy over Peace Pact

President of the United Statas, Donald Trump, complained about imbalance of Japan-US security pact, which had been signed in 1951. Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, responded to Trump’s argument, stressing Japan’s responsibility for offering military base in Japan. America-first diplomacy exercised by the US President may affect stability of security alliance between those two nations. 

To the reporters in Oval Office of the White House, Trump insisted that US-Japan Security Treaty was not reciprocal. “I Love Japan. We have a great relationship with Japan, but we have an interesting deal with Japan that we have to protect them, but they don’t have to protect us,” he said. “They make a fortune with us economically,” said Trump, asking who had made the deal.

 

The answer is former US Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, and former Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Yoshida. They signed the treaty in San Francisco on September 8th, 1951, right after the Allied Powers on behalf of the United Nations signed the Treaty of Peace with Japan, to end legal state of war and military occupation of Japan.

 

“Each party recognized that an armed attack against either party in the territories under the administration of Japan would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional provisions and processes,” writes Article 5 of Japan-US Security Treaty.

 

Concerning Article 9 of Constitution of Japan, which is regarded as prohibiting exercise of collective self-defense force, Japan interprets the treaty as providing that US solely has obligation to defend Japan. Trump questioned legal status of US in the treaty, which does not require Japan to defend US, in the context of economy.

 

The treaty has another aspect. “For the purpose of contributing to the security of Japan and the maintenance of international peace and security in the Far East, the United States of America is granted the use by its land, air and naval forces of facilities and areas in Japan,” says Article 6 of the security treaty.

 

Ishiba countered Trump’s argument in the discussion at the budget committee in the Upper House. “Japan does not have an obligation to protect America. That’s true. But Japan has a duty to offer America the bases in Japan, which no other country owes. It is not necessarily the relationship in which the US unilaterally protects Japan and Japan is unilaterally protected by the US,” said Ishiba, based on the Article 6.

 

Trump had raised the same argument in his first term. The officials in Japanese government recognize Trump’s assertion as a card to make preferrable deals in bilateral negotiation over economic issues including trade and tariffs. “I am confident that the US is going to implement the obligation in Japan-US Security Treaty using every kind of capability including the nuclear,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi.

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