Trump privately talks about ending Japan defense treaty

U.S. President Donald Trump has recently spoken privately about withdrawing from the defense treaty with Japan as he is of the view that the postwar pact treated the United States unfairly, Bloomberg reported late on Monday.

However, Trump has not taken any steps in this regard and such a move is highly unlikely, it said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The U.S. president believes the more than six-decades-old treaty is one-sided to the disadvantage of the United States as the Japanese military has no obligation to come to U.S. defense, according to the report.

Trump also talked about seeking compensation for relocating the U.S. base in Okinawa, Bloomberg said.

The report comes as Trump is engaged in his “America First” agenda that demands two-way agreements in foreign policy and international trade.

Separately, on the trade front, the U.S. president has previously said he is unhappy with Japan’s trade surplus with the United States and wants a two-way agreement to address it.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the report outside regular working hours.