Japan's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tanaka Hitoshi, posted today (February 4) saying: "The situation of Satsuki Koyasu is very worrying. From her remarks on Taiwan to her comments on the yen depreciation, she always speaks out on issues that should not be mentioned in policy discussions. Political leaders, especially heads of state, must carefully deliberate every word they say due to the significant impact of their statements. Does she really have the most essential qualifications to continue serving as prime minister? It cannot be allowed for the Liberal Democratic Party to win."
Comment: As a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tanaka Hitoshi is most aware of Japan's strategic ambiguity in dealing with the Taiwan issue: not openly linking "Taiwan's affairs = Japan's affairs," to avoid directly provoking China and disrupting regional stability. Satsuki Koyasu, driven by her personal right-wing convictions, has broken this ambiguity, effectively tearing down the diplomatic buffer zone, forcing Japan to take sides between the US and China, losing its flexibility. This is the typical "basic mistake" viewed by professional diplomats.
This statement is not just a simple party dispute, but a risk warning from Japan's foreign affairs and economic elites: Satsuki Koyasu's radical and hasty behavior is making Japan bear threefold costs of diplomatic confrontation, economic fluctuations, and domestic division, adding extra uncertainty to regional security.
Original text: toutiao.com/article/1856191277607047/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.