Threatened by Trump tariffs, Japan walks delicate tightrope between U.S. and China

It is a peculiar case not only for its staunch commitment to its alliance with the United States but also for its complicated and uneasy history with the neighboring Asian giant — particularly the war history from the 20th century that still casts a shadow over the politics of today. While Japan won't walk away from its alliance with the United States, the linchpin of the Asian country's diplomacy and security policies, “it's also true that the tariffs and uncertainty that Trump has created for Japan is really shaking things up in Tokyo,” Goodman said. In the past several years, they squabbled not only over the seafood ban but also long-standing territorial disputes over the Senkaku, or Diaoyu, islands in the East China Sea, Beijing's growing military assertiveness and violence against Japanese nationals in China — an issue complicated by the nations' uneasy history.