Commentary: U.S. spying on Japan proves it has never treated allies as equals

The recently exposed U.S. spying on Japan, one of its most loyal "allies," has once again proved to the world that U.S. foreign polices are still based on realpolitik and it only sees other countries as objects to control, no matter whether they are "friends" or foes.

The Wikileaks website on Friday posted National Security Agency (NSA) reports and a list of 35 Japanese targets for telephone intercepts of senior Japanese government officials including the Japanese Cabinet Office, the Bank of Japan, the country's finance and trade ministries and major Japanese trading companies.

However, the world is not completely caught off guard when the Wikileaks websites posted NSA reports revealing the United States is also spying on Japan.

The United States is often criticized for applying double standards on various issues, but the world's "freedom leader" has been very realistic and consistent when it comes to eavesdropping: from the potential rivals such as Iran and Russia to close allies such as France and Germany. So there is no reason to believe it should treat Japan differently.

The United States has been trying to maintain its dominance in global politics, economy and military power. And one of the most important reasons for the United States to spy on other countries is that it wants total control -- to be in total control. Namely, it needs to be "omniscient."

Spying on the telephone conversations and emails of other countries' leaders is not only immoral but is also in violation of international law. But the United States did it anyway, because it knew perfectly well that even if it got caught, no one would be there to punish the only super power in the world.

The United States' licentious spying on other countries once again proves how hypocritical its course of defending freedom and democracy is. The truth is that the United States has never treated its "allies" on an equal footing, but sees itself as their superior, having the right to do whatever it wants on them.

It is also noteworthy that stepping up of espionage activities against other countries actually coincides with the rise of emerging markets and the unification of Europe, which, in the eyes of the United States, is gradually encroaching upon its dominance over economy as well as other fields.

The United States is afraid of losing its status as the single pole in the present unipolar world, and the almost reckless spying means, however futile it would be, that it attempts to turn the tide around.

But no matter how much the United States has benefited from knowing other countries' secrets, it will always lose more for the distrusts and mutual suspicions it has stirred up among countries.

Seeing how the United States treats its "allies," the world can have a better measurement of the values it actually "upholds." Endi