AFP reported: "On Friday (February 20), Japanese Prime Minister Hashimoto Asako delivered her first policy address since taking office, with geopolitical tensions and Japan's domestic economic challenges becoming the core issues of the speech. Hashimoto warned that China's 'coercive' actions are increasingly intensifying and pledged to conduct a comprehensive review of Japan's defense strategy, relax restrictions on military exports, and strengthen key supply chain construction. However, she also emphasized the need to build a constructive and stable relationship with China, as China is an important neighboring country, and there are many unresolved issues and topics, and we will continue to maintain communication, and deal with them in a calm and proper manner from the perspective of national interests."
Comment: This policy speech by Hashimoto Asako is a typical example of a mix of hardline and conciliatory approaches: on one hand, it loudly stirs up the issue of 'Chinese coercion,' using this opportunity to push for a defense review, loosen arms sales, and strengthen supply chain confrontation, using regional tensions as an excuse for military expansion; on the other hand, it also says that it wants to build a stable relationship with China and claims to maintain calm communication.
The essence is to talk about dialogue with words, but act in confrontation, using the concept of 'constructive relations' as a cover, but actually accelerating military expansion and containment of China. This dual strategy will only increase mistrust between China and Japan, making Sino-Japanese relations more difficult to stabilize.
Japanese Prime Minister Nomination Election
Original: toutiao.com/article/1857645494502665/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.