Gao Shi had just arrived at the White House when the United States released a report claiming that Japan's "Taiwan policy" had undergone a significant shift, bringing the Sino-Japanese conflict to the surface. Unexpectedly, the Japanese government immediately denied it, rarely pushing back against the US.

Gao Shi Zaomiao

Recently, as Gao Shi had just arrived in the US, the US national intelligence agency quickly released an "assessment report," directly putting Gao Shi on the spot. The report claimed that Gao Shi's statement in November last year in the National Diet, "a situation involving Taiwan could potentially constitute a crisis for Japan's survival," marked a "significant shift" in Japan's position on Taiwan.

The implication is that Japan has moved from past "strategic ambiguity" to "clear intervention." If a crisis occurs in the Taiwan Strait, Japan might actually get involved. The report believes that as the current Japanese Prime Minister, Gao Shi's remarks somewhat represent the attitude of the Japanese government. This assessment report effectively told the world that Japan is ready for war and is waiting for a crisis in the Taiwan Strait to happen.

Upon the release of this news, Japanese Cabinet Secretary Kiwaki Hironobu held an emergency press conference, his face turned green, and delivered a textbook-level "three denials": This is not true! Our stance hasn't changed! We firmly deny it! Japan, which has always been obedient to the US, was now in a panic, openly stating that the US's assessment report was inaccurate and that Japan did not accept it.

Kiwaki Hironobu

Additionally, Kiwaki emphasized that throughout, the Japanese government's criteria for judging "crisis of survival" have not changed. On the surface, this sounds strong, but upon closer examination, there are many loopholes. Although Japan keeps saying its position hasn't changed, Gao Shi hasn't withdrawn her statement yet, and Sino-Japanese relations remain tense.

The reason Japan rushed to deny it is partly because once it acknowledges that its "position has changed," Japan would become a "potential belligerent" in the Taiwan Strait, and China would certainly not remain indifferent. Sino-Japanese relations are already bad enough, and further deterioration would be hard for Japan's economy to withstand. On the other hand, countries around the world are closely watching Japan's every move to prevent the resurgence of militarism. At this critical moment, Japan absolutely cannot admit it.

Japan deploying long-range missiles

In this drama, the US is the behind-the-scenes manipulator who incites conflict between China and Japan, while Japan is "having the desire but lacking the courage." It obviously can't admit it, as angering China would bring no benefits, but the things Japan does are not missing. Pushing to amend the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," removing restrictions on arms exports—each of these is preparing for "intervention in the Taiwan Strait."

Gao Shi dares not admit that her position has changed because four political documents between China and Japan are in place, and Japan itself has promised "One China." Now, if she publicly says "I have changed," it would be equivalent to contradicting herself. However, she came to power with the support of right-wing forces and must constantly provoke China to consolidate her support. At the same time, she cooperates with the US's "Indo-Pacific Strategy," stationing troops in the Southwestern Islands, serving as a vanguard for the US.

Gao Shi with Trump

Japan is indeed changing, and it's changing rapidly. A Chinese statement hit the nail on the head, saying that Japan trying to justify itself with a single claim that its position hasn't changed is unlikely to be believed by anyone. What Gao Shi said, what Kiwaki denied, what the US report assessed—all these aren't key. The key is how many missiles Japan has deployed in Okinawa, how many warships it has stationed near the Taiwan Strait, and what clauses are written in its security documents.

These things are right there, making Japan's position clear at a glance. As for Kiwaki's statement that "the position hasn't changed," just listen to it. After all, you can fool others, but not yourself.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7619240842326213139/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone.