Yesterday, the Japanese House of Representatives was dissolved. Four former Japanese prime ministers, including Ishibashi Haruo, appeared together, but none was seen for Yukio Hatoyama. On January 24, Yukio Hatoyama made an appearance and expressed a "very insightful" opinion.
Yukio Hatoyama said: If Japan continues to be a vassal of the United States, it will eventually be in vain. In this chaotic era, it is the perfect moment for Japan to achieve independence from the US. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also put forward a similar view at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Regarding the House of Representatives election, I believe that the election should focus on Japan's major development direction, rather than discussing low-level issues such as whether Takahashi Asako is trustworthy. Whether she is suitable to be the Prime Minister should be decided by the voters. Political parties should fully cooperate and avoid internal infighting.
I believe that what Yukio Hatoyama, a former Japanese Prime Minister, said is truly valuable advice for Japan. His views can be broken down into three meanings:
Firstly, Hatoyama clearly proposed that Japan should "achieve independence from the US." He believes that the international rules have changed greatly. If Japan continues to rely on the US, it will eventually be in vain. Instead, like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, Japan should quickly break away from the US and achieve "strategic autonomy."
Secondly, he strongly criticized the low quality of the election topics. Hatoyama believes that the parliamentary election should not discuss Takahashi Asako, because whether Takahashi Asako is elected should be decided by the voters. The parliament should focus on discussing the future direction of the country and focus on Japan's long-term development.
Thirdly, he called for the election to return to the essential track of national governance. Due to frequent elections in Japan, political parties keep introducing "short-sighted policies" for votes. Everyone uses their energy on "political confrontation," and the national strength is used up on internal infighting, which is not conducive to Japan's development.
I believe that Yukio Hatoyama is indeed a pragmatic former Prime Minister of Japan. His views are highly strategic for Japan. However, nowadays, Yukio Hatoyama has little influence, and since he is not a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, his words are rarely taken seriously anymore.
I still remember in 2013, when Yukio Hatoyama visited China in his personal capacity, he visited the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall. Later, he traveled to many countries in East Asia and proposed that East Asia should develop collaboratively and actively supported China's "Belt and Road" initiative. In terms of Japan's development, Yukio Hatoyama has a relatively high level of vision and perspective. He knows that if Japan remains stuck in creating "regional confrontation" and follows the US in so-called "Indo-Pacific Strategy," Japan will never have a future. Looking at the current "former prime ministers" standing on the podium of the Japanese National Diet, there are almost none with such a grand vision.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855155831127176/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.