By Jun Ji-hye
U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has indicated that if elected, he would not care about a potential war between Japan, one of the key U.S. allies, and North Korea, raising international concern about his capability of resolving any possible conflicts in Northeast Asia.
His remarks also contradict Washington’s long-held commitment to safeguarding its key allies in the region ― South Korea and Japan ― in the event of military conflict.
Speaking at campaign rallies in Wisconsin, Saturday, ahead of the state’s primary this week, Trump said that if a conflict between Japan and a nuclear-armed North Korea were to break out: “That’d be a terrible thing. But if they do, they do,” adding that, “Good luck. Enjoy yourself, folks.”
Trump pointed to snowballing U.S. debt as a key reason for it to reconsider its military commitments abroad.
“We can’t be the policeman to the world and have $19 trillion in debt, going up to $21 trillion,” he said.
Trump apparently reiterated his belief that Japan and South Korea should arm themselves to deter a threat from the communist state rather than have the U.S. military protect them.
The remarks are also in line with the unfounded repeated position he has made that the U.S. has been providing protection for wealthy nations for almost nothing. He claimed that Washington should end such protection unless those countries agree to pay more.
The real estate mogul also recently raised eyebrows in Seoul and Tokyo by arguing that U.S. troops stationed in the two nations may need to be pulled out, and the two countries may need to step out from under the U.S. security umbrella and develop their own nuclear arsenal.
About 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea to deter North Korean aggression, and about 54,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Japan.
“Japan is better if it protects itself against this maniac of North Korea,” Trump said on CNN early last week. “We are better off frankly if South Korea is going to start protecting itself… they have to protect themselves or they have to pay us.”
The remarks also contradict Washington’s stance on eliminating ― or at least reducing ― the world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons and material, a position that Republicans and Democrats have held since World War II.
Concerned about the statement made by the entrepreneur-turned-politician, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe responded: “Whoever will become the next president of the United States, the Japan-U.S. alliance is the cornerstone of Japan’s diplomacy.”
President Barack Obama also said at a news conference, Friday, “The person who made the statements doesn’t know much about foreign policy or nuclear policy or the Korean Peninsula or the world generally.”
Critics here also said Trump’s views reflect his lack of knowledge about the situation of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) stationed on the peninsula.
In 2014, the allies renewed the Special Measure Agreement (SMA) on sharing the financial burden of keeping U.S. troops in Korea to guard against North Korean threats. Seoul paid 920 billion won ($790 million) for that year.
The renewed SMA, which will apply until 2018, also stipulates that the amount paid must reflect the consumer price index (CPI), and increase Seoul's cost-sharing every year by up to 4 percent.
Critics say Korea pays nearly 1 trillion won a year in accordance with the SMA for the cost of stationing the USFK, and is not getting a defense free-ride from Washington.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye