James Wood 武杰士@commiepommie
🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japan just got absolutely humiliated by its own closest ally: The timing couldn’t be better either 🇨🇳
The President’s Air Force One arrived in Beijing on the 13th May, 2026, for Trump’s initial state visit to China in nine years. Tokyo was skipped entirely and not even a video call was made. Trump had trade deals and an Iran ceasefire on his agenda and Japan simply wasn’t part of the equation.
Nikkei Asia revealed significant news today. From February onwards, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and her cabinet were relentlessly pressuring Washington through a combination of bribes, pleas, incentives and lobbying to ensure Trump’s initial destination was Tokyo.
The plan was to get him in a room, push the usual “China military threat” script and lock in Japan’s hardline positions on the Taiwan Strait and Diaoyu Islands before Washington sat down with Beijing.
They put together quite a package. Extra cash for US troops in Japan, bigger US farm imports and a US$15 billion arms shopping list thrown in as a sweetener. Takaichi wanted to steer the whole thing, pushing record defence spending, Tomahawk missiles, hypersonic weapons and turning “Taiwan contingency” into Japan’s own survival crisis.
She genuinely believed she could shape the US-China agenda and pull America firmly onto Japan’s anti-China bandwagon.
The result? Absolutely nothing… Just crickets chirping in the night.
Iran’s conflict mattered more to Washington. Trump needs tangible wins with China, not Tokyo’s ideological agenda. Letting Japan set the terms would have poisoned the atmosphere before any deal got started. So the decision was made: skip Tokyo and go straight to Beijing.
This wasn’t a scheduling issue. It’s a clear sign that Japan’s long-running “use America to contain China” strategy is falling apart. For decades Tokyo has been the willing frontman, hosting US bases, running trade wars on China, rewriting history textbooks, pushing anti-China sentiment, all while assuming it was an equal partner in the arrangement. But it was not.
Washington uses Japan when it needs noise and has done so for decades. But when it needs results with Beijing, Japan sits on the sidelines.
It has already gained traction on Japanese social media. Online comparisons show Trump looking relaxed and engaged with Chinese leaders, unlike the typical awkward photo opportunities in Tokyo. Even those in Japan who vote are starting to wonder about the alliance’s benefits.
Takaichi’s government played a big hand and lost. Rather than a boost in the polls, the leaked story has opposition parties calling it a diplomatic failure and business leaders warning that further deterioration in China ties will hit Japanese companies hard.
From my perspective in China, the message is simple. The US prioritises its own interests, and this has always been the case. Meaningful interaction with Beijing is paramount at this moment, and no third party should intervene.
Japan faces a choice: continue emphasizing threats and increasing military spending, or acknowledge the undeniable fact that China’s presence is permanent. Relying solely on American support is only viable as long as America prioritises it.
Japan must make the decision.
