This war may have really been about China. China has been working hard to expand its influence in South America, and had been succeeding heavily in Venezuela. China may have had plans to base missiles in Venezuela. In a war over Taiwan, China could disrupt US shipping in the Caribbean. It is in US’s interest to not have great powers like China and Russia threatening it from nearby countries like Venezuela.
Japan’s anti-foreigner political turn is resulting in greater difficulty to start a business there and gain permanent residency. The people’s anti-foreigner feelings may be driven by too many tourists who do not respect Japan’s conservative culture.
China’s stranglehold on the supply of rare earths is damaging America’s ability to build military equipment and commercial cars. So far, Trump’s trade war on China is costly with little to no reward.
China uses military forces to kill the Philippines and other neighbors by a thousand cuts, slowly encroaching on national waters. China is aggressively using military forces to take territory from its neighbors.