U.S. National Security Strategy: ‘America First’ Approach Will Benefit China, Russia

Editorial

14:00 JST, December 9, 2025

The foreign and security policies that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to advance carry the risk of overturning and collapsing the postwar world order led by the United States based on democracy and the rule of law.

The first National Security Strategy of the second Trump administration has been released. It cited “America First” as its fundamental principle, aiming to maximize the United States’ own interests, and declared, “The days of the United States propping up the entire world order … are over.”

It criticized past administrations for intervening in other countries based on values like democracy and human rights and emphasized its intention to break away from this approach.

Accordingly, the Trump administration’s strategy announced plans to review the deployment of U.S. forces worldwide, shifting focus to the “Western Hemisphere,” including the North and South American continents, and tackling drug trafficking and stopping the inflow of immigrants.

As a matter of fact, the administration has intensified military pressure, including airstrikes on vessels that the United States suspects of smuggling drugs from places like Venezuela. One cannot help but express concern over the administration’s aggressive tactics, including the use of force, in regions it views as its sphere of influence.

In the strategy, the Trump administration unilaterally condemned European countries that criticize the United States, saying those nations are undemocratic.

However, it is commendable that the administration viewed the Indo-Pacific region as one of the “economic and geopolitical battlegrounds” and pledged to preserve “freedom of navigation.”

With China in mind, it stated that the United States will seek to reinforce “U.S. and allies’ capacity to deny any attempt to seize Taiwan.”

With regard to the fact that China sees a so-called First Island Chain connecting the Nansei Islands, Taiwan and the Philippines as its defense line, the strategy specifically named Japan and South Korea, urging them to increase defense spending to bolster defense capabilities in this region.

The new strategy also asserted that U.S. allies have been “free-riding” on U.S. security. However, Japan provides bases for U.S. forces and bears the cost of stationing them in Japan. Tokyo must persistently approach Washington to correct this misperception on the U.S. side.

Regarding China, the strategy placed priority on eliminating the trade deficit with China. It condemned past U.S. administrations’ attempts to integrate China into a “rules-based international order” as mistaken.

As to Russia, it called for ending the aggression against Ukraine and for “strategic stability” to be reestablished. However, it contained no expression criticizing the offensive.

Prioritizing short-term interests and tolerating changes to the status quo by force or coercion by China and Russia would inevitably threaten even the U.S. sphere of influence.

To avoid such a situation, Japan must deepen Japan-U.S. cooperation and work to ensure that the United States maintains its influence.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 9, 2025)