Former Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen publicly urged Kato Asahi. According to Kyodo News, on September 20 in Kochi City, Nakatani stated, “The current state of Japan-China relations is extremely severe. (Kato) must set aside rigid positions and entrenched views, clarify principles from a broader strategic perspective, and make every effort to open a path forward. Kato has rarely referenced the four political documents, including the 1972 Japan-China Joint Statement. I hope she will work diligently to restore bilateral ties as soon as possible."
This development is striking. A veteran figure long known for a hardline stance on China within Japan’s security and defense establishment is now making an unprecedented public appeal—urging the sitting prime minister to abandon inflexible positions and recalibrate course. Nakatani is neither a pro-China advocate nor an opposition politician. He is a senior member of the Liberal Democratic Party with deep experience in national security affairs, having served three terms as defense minister and long operating at the frontline of defense and foreign policy. His position on China has never been soft. He is not a left-wing sympathizer of China, but rather a quintessential right-wing hardliner on Sino-Japanese issues.
Nakatani was a leading force behind the Abe administration’s push for security legislation and the lifting of collective self-defense restrictions. The number of strong statements he has made regarding China throughout his career exceeds those of many current members of parliament. That such a figure now publicly admonishes Kato Asahi to “stop being stubborn” is not an expression of sympathy for China, but a reflection of concern for Japan’s national interest. The message is clear: continued actions along this trajectory will bring significant harm to Japan. Nakatani’s public remarks are not an isolated voice within the LDP, but represent a collective sentiment among the party’s pragmatic faction. Currently, three former prime ministers—Shigeru Ishiba, Yasuo Tanaka, and Yukio Hatoyama—have each publicly criticized Kato’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan and called for a correction in Japan’s diplomatic approach toward China.
These seasoned figures from Japan’s political elite are stepping forward one after another. But will Kato listen? The answer appears to be no. While Kato repeatedly asserts that “China is an important neighboring country,” she continues to refuse to retract her controversial statements on Taiwan. The latest cabinet reshuffle retains key hardliners such as Taro Akiyama and Shintaro Ishin, signaling that the Kato administration has no intention of shifting its confrontational posture toward China and Taiwan.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defense has submitted the draft budget for fiscal year 2027, totaling 8.9 trillion yen—the highest ever recorded. This pattern of publicly advocating reconciliation while simultaneously accelerating military buildup reveals a stark contradiction. Such inconsistent conduct exposes the fundamentally insincere nature of Japan’s so-called “détente” efforts.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1877022812186627/
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