January 20 marks one year since Donald Trump was inaugurated as President of the United States. His way of oratory full of threats and self-admiration has brought split and rivalry not only in his home but also in the international community. The Abe government of Japan, however, keeps faithfully following the Trump administration. Let’s analyze the president’s behaviors.


CALAMITY AND CONFUSION PREVAIL


The inauguration ceremony is national celebration of the United States, but many lawmakers of the Democratic Party and famous celebrities refused to attend the event. Later his surroundings resigned or were replaced due to the inner conflicts and the Russia-gate. US mass media keep unsympathetic relationships with the government.


Real Identity of America First


His economic policy based on the America First lies in (1) creation of employment through promotion of investment in the homeland, (2) a drastic tax reduction policy and de-regulation for US companies, and (3) bilateral agreements in favor of the United States.


Corporate taxes were reduced to 21% from 35% and the maximum rates for the rich were decreased, which will produce 170 trillion Yen in ten years ahead. Regulations on CO2 emission, water contamination, infrastructure construction and financial activities were relieved or eliminated, meanwhile the stock prices were boosted rapidly. The administration, taking a hostile view on the social insurances and the health service for the poor, enforced to abolish them or to be reviewed into scrutiny. Opposition emerged even from the ruling Republicans.


President Trump is to win good conditions for the US firms: withdrawal from the TPP initiative, renegotiation on the NAFTA status and harsh criticisms against China, Japan, Republic of Korea (ROK) and Germany who gain surpluses in the trade with the US.


Discrimination and Chauvinism


In his politics is found a serious discrimination ideology: the presidential orders were issued to prohibit entry of people from the Moslem countries and to suspend acceptance of refugees. These measures have brought a series of court decisions of annulment. The Trump government abolished the Obama government’s steps to save children of illegal foreign parents, which has led to forced deportation to threaten 800 thousand young people.


Mr. Trump’s pledge was to ‘fight in favor of LGBT’, but he issued the ordinance to forbid enrollment of soldiers regarded to be transgender (the Federal Court issued a ruling of abandonment). President Trump evaded accusations of discrimination on the collisions of white-supremacists and protesters. Prime Minister Theresa May, too, objected in November his diffusion of anti-Moslem projection of the British extreme-rightwing organization. The scheduled trip to England was cancelled.


On the New Year days President Trump called African nations and Haiti ‘shitholes’, which has provoked harsh enmity from the 54 nations in Africa. They demand removal and apology. He still insists on the plan to make Mexico pay for the cost of wall construction along their border, an absurd initiative.


Peace through Strength


He maintains aggressive foreign and military policies. In the new national security strategy (NSS) released late 2017 was emphasized peace through strength. China was referred to as a strategic rival and Russia, a revisionist nation. As for the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) draft to be released February, the administration will stress to secure overwhelming superiority over China, Russia and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and approve development of smaller, low-yield nuclear weapons. It will lay out a variety of nuclear force.


Military confrontation with DPRK and exchanges of provocative rhetoric may not open a door to peace, under which vie US-ROK joint military maneuvers on one side and nuclear tests and missile launching on the other. The conflicts in Middle East aggravate after the administration acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the decision on which violates the resolution of the United Nations.


Under these circumstances the Trump government increased its military budget by 10%, which is equivalent to 6 trillion Yen, meanwhile it decreased non-military spending in diplomacy and environment by the same amount. It forces Sandi Arabia and Japan to purchase weapons in a gigantic sum.


Calamity and confusion prevail not only in the United States but also in the rest of the world.




January 23, 2018