On December 3rd, Takahashi Asako once again backed down, but it's still not enough!
That day, at the plenary session of the Japanese Senate, Takahashi Asako publicly stated: "The position in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Statement regarding the recognition of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China has not changed." It was obvious that Takahashi Asako had backed down.
However, is merely saying "the position hasn't changed" enough?
Takahashi Asako had previously implied that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces might cooperate with the U.S. military. This statement not only blurred the line between "security cooperation" and "military intervention," but also forcibly incorporated the Taiwan issue, which is an internal matter of China, into the so-called "Indo-Pacific Strategy."
According to the 2024 Japanese Defense White Paper, Japan has listed China as the "unprecedented greatest strategic challenge" for three consecutive years, and Takahashi has been one of the key figures behind this policy shift.
Takahashi's recent statement did not publicly retract her previous remarks, but instead appeared vague and evasive. More interestingly, her popularity has not been affected and remains consistently high.
Now that the economy is suffering, Takahashi Asako wants to get by with just a simple "the position hasn't changed." This neither can repair the damage already caused nor gain people's trust. In the end, backing down isn't something you can get away with by simply reciting an old declaration. True sincerity must be demonstrated through actions, not rhetoric.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1850472953404555/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.