Simple, get nuclear weapons.
If there is one country that will clean the Chicoms clock, it is Japan.
Japan is the 3rd largest economy in the world. Plus, their workforce is highly trained in technology.
If Japan decided their safety required a fleet of submarines with nuclear missiles, I’m sure they could create it in record time.
Japan may not have the military potential to be a superpower, like the USA or China, but they have the military potential to make anyone who messes with them wish they hadn’t.
N. Korea, China, & Russia (who are all on Japan’s doorstep) will all rue the day they backed Japan into a corner and forced the country to seriously take up arms again.
I may be too optimistic here, but I think we may see a new alliance formed in a second Trump term. Vietnam, India, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, Taiwan, S, Korea, Australia, and Singapore are all looking warily at an increasingly militant and aggressive China (and their proxy N. Korea).
Most of them have made moves to become closer to the US recently and Pompeo has talked before about an alliance of nations to contain China. Pompeo is clearly focused on China.
Trump is increasingly frustrated with NATO (in large part due to Germany) and he correctly sees that the major threat to the world is China (who is still many years away from being able to project power by the way).
They are working on new and improved trade agreements with many of those nations as we speak. Those nations are also withdrawing from China.
Who knows? The Trump administration thinks outside the box. New trade agreements and an alliance of nations against China is not out of the question in a second Trump term. China is certainly pushing things in that direction with their behavior this year.
Japan is also pushing forward in this direction and Japan is no joke - they remain a huge economic superpower and they are increasing their military spending and research annually.
AEGIS with the SM-6 missile has the ability to intercept ballistic missiles. Increasing their defensive and offensive capabilities as well as a committed alliance whereas an attack on one will be regarded as an attack on all should make a rational China think twice about aggression. This of course presumes a rational China...
Godzilla. Turn it lose on one and the ogher will quickly back away.