Are Japan and the U.S. losing South Korea as an ally?

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hold talks in Andong, South Korea, on May 19. | Pool / via REUTERS

By Masahiro Matsumura
Contributing writer

Nov 10, 2026

The poor showing by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Republican Party in the midterm elections has weakened his administration politically, raising questions about the future of American foreign policy and Washington’s commitment to longstanding alliances.

These uncertainties are particularly consequential in Northeast Asia, where strains in the U.S.-South Korea alliance threaten trilateral security cooperation with Japan.

Since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office after a snap election in June 2025, tensions in the alliance have grown, jeopardizing cooperation among Washington, Tokyo and Seoul as regional threats mount. Latent friction in the alliance stems from a steady accumulation of Seoul’s subtle pro-Beijing signals, perhaps due to its growing deference to Beijing’s preferences on intelligence and regional deterrence.

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