Northeast Asia confronts growing military strategic challenges

In 1944, when the United States launched its counteroffensive in the Pacific, a debate arose between the White House and military leaders over the route of advance toward Japan. General Douglas MacArthur proposed moving through the Philippines, while Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of the U.S. Navy, favored occupying Taiwan first and advancing across the Taiwan Strait.

President Franklin Roosevelt ultimately mediated the dispute, and the decision was made to advance through the Philippines. The choice remains controversial. Critics argue that MacArthur pushed to reclaim the Philippines to restore his personal honor and that using Taiwan as a base might have reduced casualties.

The author considers the Philippines route the more rational choice. Nimitz later agreed with this assessment. Nevertheless, continued support for the Taiwan option highlights the strategic importance of Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait in Northeast Asian security. Although the Earth is round, maps are flat. On a flat map, Taiwan’s strategic position is hard to fully appreciate, but plotting the Pacific’s crossroads with Okinawa at the center reveals Taiwan at a critical western point.

The conflict between China and Taiwan and the threat of a Chinese invasion cannot be viewed solely as an internal issue tied to China’s “One China” policy. History shows that the domestic affairs of great powers rarely remain confined within their borders. Moreover, Northeast Asia is a strategic zone where the world’s five strongest military powers converge. When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi mentioned the possibility of deploying the Japan Self-Defense Forces to Taiwan in an emergency, China responded by sending destroyers through the Osumi Strait and advising its citizens to avoid travel and study in Japan. The move signaled China’s determination to maintain control over the Pacific crossroads.

North Korea’s nuclear armament, the potential remilitarization of Japan, and the reorganization of military alliances in the Pacific are creating increasingly concrete and difficult strategic choices for South Korea. Ignoring these realities will not make them disappear. Only a nation with the courage to confront the truth can survive.