US foreign policy has captured the world’s attention, as Donald Trump shifts policy around the world, not least in the Indo-Pacific region, in unanticipated directions. John Bolton’s departure as national security advisor appears to have made US concessions easier, as already seen in the abrupt shifts in policy toward Syria and Ukraine favorable to Russia. While attention has mostly focused on these cases and Afghanistan and Iran, Northeast Asian policy is widely debated in DC as well. Japanese and Koreans are coming to Washington, trying to gain an edge over the other side. While they are also dealing with Trump’s trade threats, his demands for increased host-nation support, and administration calls for cohesion on Indo-Pacific strategy, the US-ROK-Japanese triangle in the late summer of 2019 became an unavoidable topic, with implications for policy toward North Korea and China. To capture the essence of these exchanges, we must consider security, economics, and national identities in Japan-ROK ties.

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