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U.S. mulls expanding military ties with Japan despite Trump's criticism of the alliance

Tokyo — President Trump in early March criticized what he characterized as a one-sided security alliance between the U.S. and Japan. Officials in Japan have heard these comments from Mr. Trump before, and so far, they've continued shaping the country's national security plans based on the assurance of backing from the United States.

Government officials admit they really have no other choice.

"There is no Plan B for Japan other than the U.S.," Takuya Akiyama, Principal Deputy Director of the North American Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told CBS News. "Treaty wise and also as a physical presence, no other country can substitute the U.S. It is unthinkable."

The U.S. may be pulling back from Europe under President Trump, but despite his remarks about Japan, U.S. military cooperation with Tokyo has appeared stable, and may even expand as the White House ramps up its standoff with Asia's increasingly assertive superpower, China.

China's threat to its neighbors

Japanese officials may have breathed a sigh of relief after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's visit to the White House in February. The Trump administration reaffirmed its commitment to Japan's defense, including amid Tokyo's dispute with Beijing over ownership of the Senkaku islands.

It is one of many land ownership disputes between China and its neighbors