Japan Govt Vigilant of Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine”

Tokyo, Jan. 9 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is keeping a vigilant eye on U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” to have the United States restore its sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere, in fear of the U.S. presence diminishing in the Eastern Hemisphere. The recently proclaimed U.S. foreign policy, a revival of the Monroe Doctrine in the early 19th century opposing foreign meddling in the Western Hemisphere, may facilitate China’s further hegemonic expansion in Asia, experts warn. At a press conference on Thursday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara tried to brush away concerns about a possible decline in the U.S. commitment in Asia. “A U.S. commitment to a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ is stipulated in a new national security strategy announced recently by the White House,” the top government spokesman said. But in the strategy, released early last month, Asia, including the Indo-Pacific, comes second as a region of significance, with the Western Hemisphere given top priority. “After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere,” the strategy said. A month later, U.S. forces attacked Venezuela and captured the country’s President Nicolas Maduro. After the strike, Trump proclaimed the Donroe Doctrine. Besides the oil-rich South American nation, the Trump administration has threatened Colombia with military action and renewed intention to acquire the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland, which geographically is part of North America. Expressing worries that the United States will become less influential in the Eastern Hemisphere, a senior foreign ministry official said, “Without the U.S. presence, the Indo-Pacific’s peace and stability cannot be ensured.” The official also mentioned the possibility of the new strategy helping revive the “Group of Two” idea of splitting the world into the U.S. and Chinese spheres. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi intends to visit the United States in March to discuss with Trump a joint approach to China before the U.S. president’s scheduled visit to Beijing in April, taking into account the odds of relations between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping drastically improving. “We need to emphasize stronger than ever that stability in Asia is crucial for U.S. interests,” a Japanese government official said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]