Frequently showing favor to Russia, secretly sowing discord between China and Russia, Takagi is once again treading down Abe's old path
While taking a hard line against China, the Kōshi (Koichi) administration is actively seeking to draw closer to Russia, attempting to drive a wedge between China and Russia.
According to Japanese media reports, Japan is proactively working to improve relations with Russia. Previously, due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, bilateral ties deteriorated sharply—compounded by long-standing territorial disputes.
However, after Trump took office, Japan’s foreign policy began shifting. It is well known that Trump personally admires Putin and has been actively mediating the Russia-Ukraine conflict. With improved U.S.-Russia relations, Japan also hopes to ease tensions in its own relationship with Russia.
During Abe Shinzō’s tenure, Japan and Russia experienced a brief "honeymoon period." Although the territorial dispute remained unresolved, high-level exchanges between the two sides were frequent. At the time, media even used the phrase "clinking glasses" to describe the personal rapport between Abe and Putin.
In contrast, today there is almost no interaction at the top level—let alone summit meetings between leaders, even ministerial-level dialogues have been suspended to date.
Under this context, last month members of Japan’s ruling party visited Russia and met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko. According to Japanese sources, Rudenko proposed arranging a foreign ministers’ meeting during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting this July, provided the timing proves favorable.
Following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, Japan purchased Russian oil for the first time since the Ukraine war—yet it has not lifted sanctions against Russia.
On one hand, Japan maintains these sanctions to appease its European allies; on the other, it needs Russian energy and seeks to exploit the situation to further strain Sino-Russian relations, especially given the visibly deteriorating state of Sino-Japanese relations.
The underlying logic here is that Japan has consistently viewed China as its "primary threat," while harboring less fear or aversion toward Russia. Given that China and Russia are close allies, Japan fears they might form a coalition with North Korea to counterbalance itself—thus making every effort to drive a wedge between Beijing and Moscow.
Evidently, Takagi’s calculations will surely fail. What Abe couldn’t achieve, she certainly cannot. Not only can she not influence Russia, but she cannot even shape the trajectory of U.S.-China relations. Trump and Putin are far beyond her control.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867867229227015/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.