June 30, 2019

Japanese officials view U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewal of his criticism of the longstanding Japan-U.S. Security Treaty as just another page out of his playbook and a negotiating tool.

A Foreign Ministry official noted that the president’s remarks at a news conference in Osaka on June 29 after the Group of 20 summit, in which he called the treaty "unfair" and stressed the need for "change," are not surprising, given his longtime stance on the security alliance.

“(Trump) mentioned it as an extension of his pet argument that U.S. allies are not shouldering enough of the costs for the alliance with the United States,” the official said. “The allies should pay more is his position.”

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http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201906300030.html