Is Donald Trump’s Threat to Quit Japan Defence Pact Just a Negotiating Tactic?

South China Morning Post

27 June 2019

Security analysts have dismissed suggestions that Donald Trump would pull out of the defence treaty with Japan, saying it was likely to be a negotiating tactic aimed at extorting greater trade concessions from Tokyo.

They also warned that if Japan was freed from the restrictions imposed by the post-World War II alliance, it would build up its military – possibly acquiring nuclear weapons – which would unsettle China and trigger an “unrestricted” arms race in the region.

Collin Koh, a military specialist at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, also expressed doubts that the US would pull out of the alliance, saying such a move risked undermining America’s military presence in the region.

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Last updated on 28/06/2019

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