For the longest time, letting Europe, Japan and Korea screw us over on trade was the price we paid for them letting us protect them from their enemies. Huh? Come again? How the heck does that make sense? We let them screw us on trade so they’ll allow us to protect them for free? Trump is finally slicing through this Gordian Knot.
On the other hand, the cost of producing it in the USA has gone up so much because the unions have driven up the costs of doing so, we're in a no-win scenario.
What's the solution?
Totally true, but during the decades of the Cold War, it was viewed as part of the competition to have more allies and more strategic bases around the world than the Commies. So the US paid well for base leases and cut many breaks on trade to help gain or strengthen an ally.
Past time to start undoing it.
Historically, I believe U.S. trade policy with those countries was based on making the U.S. a more attractive trading partner than the Soviet Union and its allies.
All from the Cold War which was again fed by WWII events.
Japan isn’t a big threat anymore because they refused to go down the China road of spoiling their countryside and air to support the sheer bulk of manufacturing required. And so Japanese items remain boutique items.