Many Japanese people may be afraid of the prospects of Trump becoming U.S. President. This is mainly due to Trump’s opinions that it is unfair if Japan does nothing when the U.S. is under attack, and that the U.S. doesn’t have enough money to lend a hand to Japan’s defense.

Expectations for His Honesty and Administration Skills

Trump, however, is not the racist man he has been made to be. His plan to build a wall on the Mexican border is directed at the illegal immigration problem, and his calls to ban Muslim entry into the country arises from his intention to protect Americans from terrorist attacks.

The thing that stands out more so in his character is his honesty. A middle-aged man from New Jersey says that, “Trump is honest, sometimes too honest. That’s what I respect about him. I think he really represents America.” Everyone was shocked especially at his accusation of former Republican President George W. Bush for lying that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Americans are sick of politicians lying, and in one sense, Trump’s honesty is what they have been looking for.

Another reason for his growing popularity is his economic policy. A woman from California commented, “I used to own a business, so I understand what he is thinking. He can revitalize the American economy.”

Trump’s economic policy is based on small government, where taxes are lowered and competition is encouraged through added freedom. By lowering taxes for the people, including the top wealthy class, he plans to increase the amount of money that the people can use freely.

He is also proposing infrastructure redevelopment of roads, bridges and airports. In June 2015 he said: “I look at the roads being built all over the country, and I say I can build those things for one-third [of the cost].” He is indeed the king of real estate. With this infrastructure, things and people will circulate more fluidly and the economy of the area will become more active. He knows exactly how to revive the economy.

Hilary Could Form a U.S.-China Alliance?

In terms of diplomacy, Trump is said to be an isolationist who does not deal with problems outside of his country. It is easy to mistakenly infer this from his statements about Mexico and Muslims. He, however, is not an isolationist: for instance, he said that he will use military force against other countries if he is out of other options, on the condition that America will win.

If Hillary Clinton becomes President, however, the U.S.-Japan alliance will be in danger. It was when her husband Bill Clinton was President in the 1990s that the U.S. deepened ties with China and began bashing Japan. If Hillary becomes President, the pro-China politicians from the 1990s will gather beside her. Hillary has even stated that relations with China are vital to the U.S. In the worst case, she may even form a U.S.-China alliance.

What is the Great America?

There are other reasons why Trump would be preferable for the U.S.-Japan relation. One of them has to do with Trump’s idea of “Make America great again”.

The U.S. has military bases stationed in more than ¾ of the countries in the world: that is, the U.S. is a military superpower that has over 600 bases outside of its mainland. It is thanks to this that U.S. friendly countries can conduct trade in safety.

The U.S. dollar currency is used in this trade, and this also applies to trade between two countries other than the U.S. The percentage of USD that outside countries have for trade amounts to 64%. The worldwide use of the USD allows the U.S. the privilege that they will never collapse no matter how much debt they shoulder. This is because they just print more USD when they need to return that debt.

Overseas military stations and the USD are allowing the friendly nations around the world to trade and prosper with safety. This is why the U.S. is ‘great’.
The only issue with Trump here is that he has a tendency to see the overseas military stations with a profit-loss view, which is reflected in his opinion that the stations are not profitable for the U.S. and therefore they should be rid of.

Making America great again is good. The only thing left is for Trump to change his ideas from those of a business owner, to those of a superpower nation leader.

Time for the U.S. to Change

Trump has also suggested for Japan to hold nuclear equipment because North Korea owns them. He later retracted the statement, but it is probably still his true opinion. The view clearly differs from other American politicians who have disallowed Japan the power of autonomous defence. This idea is necessary for the U.S. to maintain its power while making friendly countries (and not the enemies) into superpowers.

One such friendly country would be Japan. Until now, the U.S. nuclear umbrella had protected them, and so China’s nuclear weapons did not seem so threatening; but now Chinese missiles can reach the U.S. mainland. This means that the U.S. will have to risk its own safety to protect Japan when Japan is under attack. Will they do so? Most definitely not.

So, it is time for the U.S. to change its thinking too. There is a reason for Trump to have appeared as a Presidential candidate. For Japan also, Trump’s potential presidency is the perfect opportunity to advance in autonomous defence. It is time for Japan to stop relying on the U.S. for defence.