Would Donald Trump really abandon ‘one-sided’ defence pact with Japan? Insiders suggest he’s discussed it privately

The treaty, signed more than 60 years ago, forms the foundation of the alliance between the countries that emerged from World War Two

Without it, Japan would need to find another way to defend itself against threats from China and North Korea

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump at the White House. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 11:55am, 25 Jun 2019Updated: 10:29pm, 25 Jun 2019

US President Donald Trump has recently mused to confidants about withdrawing from a long-standing defence treaty with Japan he thinks treats the US unfairly, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Trump regards the accord as too one-sided because it promises US aid if Japan is ever attacked but does not obligate Japan’s military to come to defence of the US, the people said. The treaty, signed more than 60 years ago, forms the foundation of the alliance between the countries that emerged from World War Two.

Even so, Trump has not taken any steps towards pulling out of the treaty, and administration officials said such a move is highly unlikely. The people asked not to be identified discussing Trump’s private conversations.

Exiting the pact would jeopardise a post-war alliance that has helped guarantee security in the Asia-Pacific, laying the foundation for the region’s economic rise. It would also risk spurring a fresh nuclear arms race as Japan would need to find another way to defend itself against threats from China and North Korea. Under the terms of its surrender in World War Two, Japan agreed to a pacifist constitution in which it renounced the right to wage war.

The president will make his second trip to Japan in a matter of weeks on Wednesday when he travels for the Group of 20 summit in Osaka. He’s expected to again meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who enjoys as good a relationship with the mercurial and unpredictable American president as any foreign leader.

Yet as with many US allies, there are growing tensions between the countries over Trump’s attitude towards trade. The president has said he may enact tariffs on imports of foreign cars, calling them a threat to national security – an allegation called preposterous by automakers and many US lawmakers.

It remains unsettled in American law whether the president can withdraw from a ratified treaty without congressional approval. While president, George W. Bush withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 without lawmakers’ consent.