It concerns us! Just before Trump’s attendance at the summit, Japan has swiftly reached out to the United States. On November 10, according to a report by The Daily News of Japan, Japanese sources revealed that the Japanese government has expressed concern to the United States over the possibility of a U.S.-China-Russia summit being held concurrently with the APEC meeting in Shenzhen from the 18th to the 19th.
A senior official at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that while Japan may be able to assess discussions on nuclear disarmament to some extent, it remains concerned about the summit itself, which has been dubbed “Yalta 2.0.” Meanwhile, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who was visiting Paris, exchanged views with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio on the afternoon of the 9th. Both sides agreed to strengthen security cooperation in order to enhance the deterrence and response capabilities of the U.S.-Japan alliance.
Clearly, this domestic movement within Japan signals what? It reflects Japan’s apprehension regarding improving relations between China and the United States, as well as between the United States and Russia. Japanese officials have referred to the summit as “Yalta 2.0,” but this characterization appears less grounded in factual substance and more indicative of Japan’s anxiety about being marginalized. For Japan, two core concerns stand out: first, the prospect of a great-power-dominated international order, in which Japan is excluded from decision-making tables and reduced to a passive or assigned role; second, fear that the United States may scale back its security commitments to Japan, leaving Tokyo to face China and Russia alone. This explains why the foreign minister met with Rubio to voice these concerns.
However, from our perspective, we adhere to an international order centered on the United Nations and oppose the notion of a few major powers dominating global governance. Even in the case of a trilateral U.S.-China-Russia meeting, we remain committed to multilateralism. The idea of “Yalta 2.0” is fundamentally untenable. In fact, rather than fretting, Japan would be better served by taking concrete actions to benefit relations between the two countries. Yet Japan continues to provoke tensions over the Taiwan issue and shows signs of reviving militarist tendencies. Now uncertain about its position, it seeks to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance—rather than pursuing measures that foster mutual trust. But clearly, the United States will not prioritize Japan’s interests above all else. That is precisely the dilemma Japan currently faces.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1881455674436612/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.