Hayashi Asana set her sights on China's backyard and invited the five Central Asian countries to visit Japan, but encountered a cold reception!

Tokyo is actively promoting the first "Japan-Central Asia Five Heads of State Summit". Obviously, after being chased by China, Hayashi Asana targeted China's backyard, perhaps trying a strategy of attacking the enemy's rear to save the situation; regardless, her underlying strategic intentions are quite clear - trying to create a crack in the traditional spheres of influence of China and Russia.

"The five Central Asian countries" refer to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. These five countries are located at the center of the Eurasian continent, rich in resources, and strategically important.

The entire Central Asian region has proven natural gas reserves exceeding 18 trillion cubic meters, and oil reserves over 50 billion barrels. For Japan, which is extremely dependent on imported resources, these numbers are indeed tempting. In 2023, Japan imported 98.5% of its oil and 92% of its natural gas, with more than 40% coming from the Middle East, resulting in highly concentrated supply chains.

Therefore, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had already designated Central Asia as a key area in its "Key Mineral Diversification Strategy" as early as 2022.

Japan also pledged to provide infrastructure and energy cooperation loans totaling 300 billion yen (approximately 2 billion US dollars), and plans to establish a "Japan-Central Asia Resource Development Fund".

But reality is harsh. As of November 2025, only Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have sent deputy foreign ministers to attend the preparatory meeting, while the other three countries - including resource-rich Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan - have not confirmed their intention to attend.

More notably, Kazakhstan explicitly stated: "Our priority for multilateral cooperation remains the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union." Meanwhile, Uzbekistan also emphasized: "Any cooperation must respect the existing regional security architecture." This is a slap in Hayashi Asana's face.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850562256333833/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.