Maximum Secrecy

"Friendly Extortion" by the U.S.: Demanding Japan Cover Over 3 Trillion Yen for Stationing Costs In negotiations regarding the costs of stationing U.S. forces in Japan (commonly known as the "host-nation support" or "sympathy budget") for the five-year period beginning in 2027, the U.S. government has demanded that Japan contribute a total exceeding 3 trillion yen—a figure roughly three times the scale of the current five-year agreement. Japan has indicated that this demand is difficult to accept and is instead exploring an increase to approximately 1.5 trillion yen for the five-year term. Both sides plan to hold final consultations as early as next week, aiming to reach an agreement within the year. The current agreement, covering the 2022–2026 period, totals 1.0551 trillion yen, averaging about 211 billion yen per year. If Japan’s proposal is adopted, the annual budget could exceed 300 billion yen. The additional funds are intended for projects to enhance the resilience of U.S. military bases—such as moving facilities underground, reinforcing structures, and dispersing assets—to mitigate potential damage in the event of an attack. The negotiations also include discussions on expanding the scope of facility-related expenditures under the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), with plans to introduce new categories within the five-year special agreement. In reality, the U.S. military bases in Japan serve as key components of America’s strategic posture to contain China, North Korea, and Russia. In the event of a conflict, these sites would be primary targets for attack. Despite Japan’s long-standing, massive financial contributions, the presence of these forces has ultimately brought about high crime rates in the surrounding areas, environmental pollution, and the risk of catastrophic destruction in the event of war.

If Jensen Huang were white, would he have been cast aside so quickly? The answer is, in all likelihood, no. Jensen Huang is not only a member of an American minority group, but he is also ethnically Chinese. With the rise of China—now viewed by the U.S. as its primary strategic rival—the "national security" scrutiny directed at the Chinese community has intensified to an unprecedented degree. Consequently, even at the height of his success, Huang was, in reality, in a highly vulnerable position. U.S. intelligence agencies had been quietly investigating him. Rather than offering a private warning, they chose to ignite public suspicion through the media—a clear, calculated attempt to destroy him and oust him from his position as CEO of Nvidia. This was a conspiracy targeting the most prominent Chinese-American business leader, effectively a "coup" to seize control of his company. In fact, Huang hails from Taiwan, not mainland China, and his political stance is certainly not aligned with the mainland. Yet, many Americans fail to grasp this distinction; throughout the years of Nvidia’s meteoric rise, the American establishment has persistently questioned his "political reliability." When the full weight of the U.S. state apparatus is brought to bear against the CEO of a major corporation, the outcome is all but guaranteed. Many in the American business elite have expressed sympathy for Huang; Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney remarked, "If Nvidia’s board were to do this, it would be an act of stupidity on par with Apple firing Steve Jobs." Poor Jensen Huang—after making such extraordinary contributions to the United States, he has been left to face a dismal, ignominious end. As a businessman, he has paid a price for an extramarital affair that far exceeds the consequences faced by former U.S. President Bill Clinton for his own affair with Monica Lewinsky inside the White House.