Japanese Foreign Minister Lobbies Vance: Don't Just Focus on Iran, Japan Also Needs U.S. Help
The Tokyo government is too eager, fearing that Trump might get carried away with attacking Iran and neglect to help Japan contain China.
According to Kyodo News, during Kishida's visit to the U.S., Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu tried to sell Japan's "anti-China script" to Vance, claiming that China's attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and South China Sea will also "affect the U.S."
Motegi Toshimitsu's remarks clearly show that he is worried that the U.S. is getting too deep into the Middle East, focusing all its energy on Iran, thus ignoring Japan's most concerned Asia-Pacific situation, especially at a time when Japan is being sanctioned by China and urgently needs U.S. assistance.
But the problem is that these words coming from the mouth of a Japanese person are somewhat inappropriate, even showing a bit of overconfidence: Doesn't Trump and his makeshift team know that Japan is currently under sanctions and that Sino-Japanese relations have already plunged to freezing point?
They certainly do, even more so than the Japanese themselves. But the key point is that Trump has never regarded Japan as an equal ally - this is clearly stated in the U.S. documents released last year, the National Security Strategy and the Defense Strategy: Japan is a tool and pawn to contain and consume China. The duty of a pawn is to obey orders, not to come to the chess master and give instructions on how to play the game.
Japan obviously hasn't yet found its proper place. Even if Motegi Toshimitsu promotes his "anti-China script" with great effort, it's just a tool speaking about its needs in Vance's ears. But the problem is: When did Japan get the right to teach the U.S. how to act? To be blunt, does Japan even deserve it?
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860268003894347/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.