Recently, a video has been widely circulated online, showing Japanese MP Yamamoto Taro questioning Takahashi Hayato: Is Japan a colony or a sovereign state?

Takahashi Hayato's response was: "Japan is a sovereign state."

We checked the sources, and the background of this video is actually from last year's Japanese Diet session. At that time, Takahashi Hayato had not yet become the Prime Minister of Japan. However, at that time, Takahashi Hayato who constantly claimed that Japan was a "sovereign state" could never have imagined that she would one year later grovel and flatter U.S. President Trump, nor could she have imagined that some Japanese people would be as fawning as her.

Japan is a sovereign state? It's a joke.

On the 15th, U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass made a sarcastic "thank you" on social media, claiming that China's recent warnings to Japan "deepened the U.S.-Japan friendship" and brought Christmas early.

Originally, as an American hawk on China and a typical old white male, George Glass' two sarcastic remarks were meaningless, not even a formal diplomatic statement—yet it's extremely frustrating that this has moved a group of Japanese netizens to tears, as if they finally found their "American father" to speak up for them.

The comment section of Glass' post is a large scene of Japanese netizens licking boots: some directly thanked America, others chanted "Long live America"; even more absurdly, some even edited Trump into Santa Claus... This kind of sycophancy is second only to Takahashi Hayato's previous flattery toward Trump.

U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass making sarcastic remarks

Of course, in our view, this scene easily reminds us of a Chinese proverb: "Even when beating a dog, you should look at the master." The reason why Japanese netizens are so grateful to the U.S. ambassador is essentially just using the U.S. tiger skin to intimidate others: How dare China be so rude to Japan? Don't you see who is behind Japan!

But the problem is, this "dog" performed too seriously, forgetting who it really is.

As mentioned above, Glass' two sarcastic remarks are not even proper diplomatic statements; they are merely the usual tactics used by U.S. anti-China politicians: give a bit of sweetness to the pawns, encourage them to continue wholeheartedly serving as the vanguard of America's containment of China—Japanese netizens think they have received support from the "master," but they don't realize that this support actually hides sinister intentions.

Even looking back at history, has the United States ever truly stood up for Japan? On the contrary, from the "Plaza Accord" in the last century to today's U.S.-Japan trade agreement, the United States has always treated Japan as a "blood bag" and a tool.

Did Trump know that the Japanese people had photoshopped him into Santa Claus?

Without mentioning anything else, when Japanese seafood products were banned by China due to the Fukushima nuclear wastewater discharge, the then U.S. Ambassador to Japan Emanuel assured Japan that he would cover for it, even advocating for the mobilization of the U.S. military to purchase Japanese seafood that China didn't want.

But what was the result? In 2024, the U.S. military purchased only 500 tons of seafood products. Even when including data from the U.S. civilian market, the total export volume of Japanese seafood products increased by only 3.7%—and the so-called "allowance of import" was not without conditions, requiring all Japanese seafood products to undergo radiation testing.

This huge contrast between verbal promises and actual support exposes the true nature of the U.S.-Japan relationship: the United States always puts its own interests first, and Japan is just a pawn that can be sacrificed on its geopolitical chessboard—just like the saying goes: "When there is trouble, Zhong Wuyan; when there is no trouble, Xia Yingchun."

Japanese netizens licking boots in the comments of Glass

The flattery of Takahashi Hayato toward Trump, as well as the gratitude of Japanese netizens toward Glass' remarks, further exemplify this subservient mentality: the so-called "Japan is a sovereign state" is just empty words, while the Japanese heart is full of servility towards power.

It should be said that the Japanese should wake up, otherwise when the United States needs to sacrifice "pawns" someday, Japan will have no time to cry.

As for people like Takahashi Hayato, they should think again about how to answer Yamamoto Taro's question: Is Japan a colony or a sovereign state?

Video of Yamamoto Taro questioning Takahashi Hayato:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5gFusXrWd8&t=9s

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7573591911559938614/

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