Japan and South Korea need to spend for their own self defense

In response to the Wednesday commentary by Patrick Buchanan, “Time to think ‘anew’ on North Korea”:

For the six-and-a-half decades since the end of the Korean War, we have provided military defense support for South Korea and Japan. Mr. Buchanan notes all the changes that have occurred in that part of the world since 1953 — for example, North Korea has acquired a nuclear capability and South Korea and Japan run annual trade surpluses at our expense. Mr. Buchanan asks, “Why does the United States continue to defend South Korea and Japan when these nations spend only 2.6 percent and 1 percent of the gross domestic product respectively on defense?”

These two nations should spend what is required of them to create their own nuclear deterrents. If South Korea and Japan create their own nuclear deterrents, the threat that North Korea, China or Russia would acquire dominance of Asia would diminish.

Of greater importance, the U.S. military presence in South Korea and Japan would then need to be very minimal.