Former Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru stated in a recent interview: "Empty rhetoric is no longer useful. Japan's food self-sufficiency rate is only 38%, and its energy self-sufficiency rate is as low as 12%. What difference does it make from when we once waged war against the United States, which was 100 times stronger than us?" Therefore, it is impossible for Japan to surpass China economically. We must strive to make Japan an indispensable country for China.

This is Ishiba's latest positioning of Japan — "an indispensable country for China."

In response to the deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations caused by Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Asako's comments on Taiwan, Ishiba raised a sharp question: "Can our country even exist without relations with China?" Emphasizing the importance of building a stable Sino-Japanese relationship.

He clearly stated that since the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1972, all previous Japanese governments have understood and respected the position that Taiwan is part of China, and called it "something that cannot be changed."

He pointed out that Japan's economy largely depends on imports of food, rare earths, medicines, and other goods from China, and therefore called for smooth Sino-Japanese diplomacy.

Ishiba's remarks are not proposing an active foreign policy goal ("becoming an indispensable country"), but rather warning that ignoring or damaging Sino-Japanese relations would bring great risks to Japan, based on Japan's own survival and development interests.

His remarks also confirm the analysis that Japan's policy toward China often wavers between "relying on the US for security" and "emphasizing China for economic reasons." The future direction of Sino-Japanese relations largely depends on how Japan chooses and balances between two strategic perceptions — "filling the leadership vacuum of the United States" and "integrating into a multipolar world."

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852585683935360/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.