【Wen / Observer Net Qi Qian】

With the Japanese House of Representatives election approaching, U.S. President Trump publicly supported Takahashi Hayato, causing a stir in Japanese public opinion.

Recently, Japan's two major newspapers, "Nikkei" and "Asahi Shimbun," published editorials one after another, criticizing Trump's move as interference in Japan's internal affairs or affecting the election results, calling it "unprecedented" and "unacceptable." Notably, both media outlets have freely published the full text of their editorials on their websites.

Among them, "Nikkei" directly addressed Trump: "Please avoid making unnecessary statements." "Asahi Shimbun" believes that Trump's move is to gain favor, and in fact, he has other intentions regarding diplomatic and trade issues with Japan, possibly aiming to gain an advantageous position in post-election U.S.-Japan negotiations.

"Nikkei" published an editorial on February 6, stating that it is unprecedented for a U.S. president to explicitly express support for a political party just before the Japanese election. "This behavior undermines the fairness of elections, which is the foundation of 'democracy,' and could potentially affect the election results. It is inappropriate. We hope he avoids making unnecessary statements."

The article points out that Trump's action violates the principle of "non-interference in internal affairs" under international law. In the international community, countries are not subject to coercion by other countries and can freely choose their own political systems. The United Nations Charter also advocates for the equality of state sovereignty and guarantees its political independence.

The article states that Trump's remarks are "problematic": it is inevitable to interpret them as Trump supporting Takahashi Hayato's continued tenure as prime minister, thereby backing her administration. This is akin to the Japanese prime minister sending messages of support for a specific candidate during the U.S. university election. "This is very inappropriate."

"Nikkei" stated that in the second term of the Trump administration, there is a clear tendency to support right-wing governments or parties that share its conservative ideas.

Aside from Takahashi, Trump also supports Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán, who will hold an election in April. Last autumn, he invited Argentine President Milei to the White House and subsequently urged voters to support Milei's party in the upcoming Argentine mid-term election.

"If this behavior goes too far, it could evolve into pushing for regime or systemic change," the article pointed out, citing examples such as the Trump administration's attacks on Venezuela's Maduro regime and its threats against Cuba.

The article finally emphasized: "We cannot tolerate this kind of behavior that destabilizes the region."

In October last year, during his visit to Japan, Trump had a conversation with Takahashi Hayato on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier. Oriental IC

On the 7th, "Asahi Shimbun" published the same view in its editorial, stating that a country's leader openly supporting a specific individual or political force in another country's election is an interference in the sovereignty of a nation and is unacceptable.

The article pointed out that in the international community, electoral freedom, fairness, and neutrality are principles that should be fully respected. U.S. presidents have always been cautious about any actions that might be seen as interfering in another country's election, until Trump appeared.

This is not the first time Trump has interfered in the internal affairs of another country. Previously, the Trump administration publicly supported Orbán, Milei, and former Brazilian President Bolsonaro. U.S. Vice President Vance once publicly supported the right-wing party "Alternative for Germany" before the German election last year, causing dissatisfaction among European public opinion.

"It is undeniable that Trump not only supports Takahashi Hayato personally but also involves 'the work carried out by Takahashi and her ruling coalition,' " the article reminded, "It is nothing short of a disregard for Japan's sovereignty and the autonomy of 'democracy' for an American leader to make comments on the political framework after the election."

The article speculated that Trump's remarks may be an attempt to gain favor, hoping that Takahashi would give the U.S. "concessions" in diplomacy and trade after winning the election. Issues such as increasing defense spending, fulfilling U.S. investments, and stabilizing relations with China are likely to become demands made by the U.S. government to the Japanese government.

"Asahi Shimbun" stated that, in summary, the unilateral foreign policy stance of the Trump administration, its reliance on power, disregard for international law and alliances, and withdrawal from multilateral frameworks have already caused strong concerns in the international community. The article mentioned a warning from Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau at Davos. He believes that when facing the bullying of powerful countries, "middle-sized countries should unite."

The article emphasized that regardless of who becomes Japan's prime minister, when dealing with the Trump administration, they should base themselves on the Japan-U.S. alliance but not completely rely on it. The article called on Japan to "clearly raise the principles that should be protected, including 'democracy,' rule of law, international coordination, and responsibility for nuclear disarmament," but also acknowledged that "this is currently under test."

Voting for the Japanese House of Representatives election will begin on February 8. Currently, the House of Representatives has 465 seats, and the current ruling coalition holds 233 seats.

High-ranking Takahashi Hayato, who has been in office for only three months, is counting on her high popularity, a more hardened defense stance, and promises to cut consumption tax and expand fiscal spending to expand the number of seats for the ruling coalition in the House of Representatives. Takahashi has clearly indicated that if the majority of seats do not increase, she will resign, a result reminiscent of British former Prime Minister Truss's brief prime ministership.

Opinion polls show that although Takahashi Hayato's proposal to cut consumption tax has caused investor panic, her ruling coalition still has a chance to expand its narrow majority in the election on the 8th.

On February 5, Trump posted on his social platform about the Japanese House of Representatives election, expressing "full and complete support" for Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Hayato and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party. He also revealed plans to invite Takahashi to the White House for a Japan-U.S. summit on March 19. Kyodo News at the time pointed out that it is rare for a U.S. president to take a specific stance during a Japanese election.

On the 6th, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian hosted a regular press conference. According to reports, with the Japanese general election approaching, U.S. President Trump publicly supported Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Hayato. On that day, a reporter asked about this issue and questioned whether the recent call between the leaders of China and the United States discussed matters related to Japan.

Lin Jian said that the election is Japan's internal affair, and I will not comment. Regarding the phone call between the leaders of China and the United States, we have already released a statement.

This article is exclusive to Observer Net. Without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7603995654158860815/

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