Why Will the US Not Take Japan as a Sworn Friend?

China set up the East China Sea air defense identification zone, which was aimed primarily at Japan. But it was like a shot of adrenaline for Japan when the U.S. B-52 bombers entered the new Chinese air defense identification zone. However, Japan was dumbfounded when the White House began to urge American airlines to give China their flight plans. Japan was completely confused about what tricks the United States, her big brother, was playing. There is no doubt that the U.S. allies itself with Japan in an effort to contain China, but never will the U.S. consider Japan as a sworn friend, or take Japan into her confidence.

The U.S. has quite a few allies. At first, they became friends for ideological reasons and strategic interests. Actually, neither the number of allies nor their convergence or divergence matters much to the United States. Therefore, it is not difficult to become an ally of the U.S., but it is never easy to be taken as sworn friends, who believe “blood is thicker than water.”

The U.S. and European Union members are nominal allies, but the U.S. still monitored the German chancellor’s phone. Distrust is the reason behind this. The same is true for the relationship between the U.S. and Japan. Actually, the U.S. distrusts Japan, though Japan could be savage and unreasonable in front of China. The U.S. believes that Japan was a vanquished country, defeated primarily by the United States. The U.S. pushed forward American-style reforms in Japan after the war to avoid instability in Asia due to the collapse of Japan. Despite the economic takeoff, Japan never outwitted her big brother. Likewise, the U.S. has always considered Japan to be like a little brother. Japan is allowed to behave in a spoiled manner, but under no circumstances can she be out of control. The U.S. needs the assistance of Japan for the “pivot to Asia” strategy, and Japan is emboldened by the support of the United States. However confident Japan feels in herself, she has to take cues from her big brother before she acts. Nowadays, the U.S. acts in a manner inconsistent with Japan, which has dumbfounded the politicians in Japan, who seem confused about what happened.

After all, Japan will not be a sworn friend of the U.S., and the U.S. will not take Japan into her confidence. What are the reasons? Let us learn about how the U.S. defines “sworn friends.” The U.S. classifies nations into several types according to international relations. First, the opposing countries, like North Korea, Iran, etc. Second, neither enemies nor friends, like China, Russia, etc. Third, the countries with common strategic interests, also known as allies, such as Germany, France, etc. Fourth, the countries that are closely related and mutually dependent. These countries can be the sworn friends of the United States.

Unsurprisingly, the U.S. has been eavesdropping on China and Russia, because Russia was the previous imaginary enemy of the U.S. military, and now China is. But it is inconceivable that the U.S. went so far as to eavesdrop on the German chancellor. It indicates that Germany is not a sworn friend of the U.S. but only an ally. So, who are the sworn friends of the U.S.? The U.K., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S. have been called the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance. The other four countries are taken by the U.S. as sworn friends: “Blood is thicker than water.”

The “Five Eyes” alliance originates from an agreement between the U.K. and the U.S., abbreviated as UKUSA. The agreement, first signed by the U.K. and the U.S. during World War II, was a catalyst for the establishment of the U.S.-U.K. Intelligence Alliance. One of its achievements was that the intelligence services of the two nations deciphered German and Japanese codes successfully through close cooperation, which laid the foundations for clearing the threat of German submarine units and defeating the Japanese navy in the Pacific. After the war, the alliance was expanded to five nations —the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The five nations not only engaged in monitoring activities and shared intelligence through cooperation, but also promised not to monitor each other.

The [countries of the] “Five Eyes” alliance mentioned above have several features in common: the same language, the same race, similar cultures, similar civilization and history, and the same ideology. The five common features formed the special relationship between these nations. Since World War I, the five nations have been allies. Even now, they are still fighting together in almost every war. In Europe, the U.K. is an envoy of the U.S.; in America, Canada is the backyard of the U.S.; in Oceania, Australia and New Zealand are the bridgeheads against Asia.

But Japan and the U.S. have different languages and races. The cultures are not alike, not to mention the incompatible civilization and history. The ideology alone cannot play a decisive role despite being something in common. The relationship between the allies lies mainly in strategic interests. Evidently, Japan is just trying to “catch fish in a tree”* by roping the U.S. in to achieve her own strategic objectives. Japan is not enough to be a sworn friend of the United States.

Note: This article does not represent Sina’s stance, but only represents the author’s opinion.

* Translator’s Note: This is a Chinese expression meaning “a fruitless effort.”