If the U.S. is serious about addressing its ballooning budget deficit, it should close down military bases in Asia, saving money and making the world a safer place, Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs argues in an April 21 article.
While Trump wants Japan and Korea to pay for the privilege of stationing tens of thousands of U.S. troops—50,000 in Japan and nearly 30,000 in Korea—it were better to bring the troops home and put the saved expense to good use.
Japan has no reason to fear China, Sachs says, remarking that over the past 1,000 years, the only times China tried to invade Japan were in the 13th century, when China was temporarily under Mongol rule. Are these troops actually meant to defend Japan, or to antagonize China? (In contrast to China’s peaceful behavior, Japan has repeatedly invaded China and its possessions over the past 150 years.)