This article is written by combining authoritative sources with personal opinions, and the sources are listed at the end. Please be aware of this.

July 8th is approaching, and Trump's aggressive "debt-demanding diplomacy" towards various countries will face its first major test.

Especially Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whether he can withstand the U.S. tariff pressure at the last moment or immediately soften and give up opposing the United States, the answer is about to be revealed.

At this time, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama stepped forward, providing a "way out" for Japan and China:

Japan should no longer have illusions about the United States, and China should seize the opportunity to join forces with Japan and another country to counter the United States, as it is a golden opportunity.

Is what Hatoyama said feasible? Are the current conditions sufficient for "jointly countering the United States"?

At the last moment before the U.S. set the deadline for tariff negotiations, Japan and the United States officially had a breakdown in talks.

Trump publicly exploded on the social platform: Some countries (Japan) have been spoiled, and the United States will issue "taxation letters" as a result.

Before that, from June 28 to June 30, Japan's trade negotiation representative Akira Akazawa was in Washington, having three days of talks with U.S. officials of all levels.

He even talked directly with Trump, but still failed to reach an agreement.

The U.S. demands were too high, almost absurd. Trump said that Japan has taken too much advantage of the U.S. over the years. After imposing steel tariffs and car tariffs on Japan, they need to sign a trade agreement to eliminate the deficit, otherwise, they would impose "reciprocal tariffs."

Japan's negotiation demands were: To achieve a trade agreement, Japan was willing to make concessions, including purchasing American agricultural products, energy, and lowering the tariff gates for American products, which was not a problem.

But America's actions cannot be too extreme. Steel and cars are our key industries, and Japan needs to secure "special exemptions" in these areas, i.e., lower or cancel tariffs on Japan.

Trump didn't waste words. They weren't negotiating with Japan to exchange conditions. The final result was that there was no deal with Japan, just waiting to pay tariffs.

Therefore, Japanese media describes that Japan-U.S. relations are now on the "edge of a cliff."

If Japan retaliates against the U.S. in the end, the situation will become more critical.

At this time, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama stepped forward. During his participation in the 13th World Peace Forum in Beijing, he gave several suggestions for Japan's current situation.

Yukio Hatoyama is one of the few pro-China prime ministers in the Japanese political arena. During his tenure, he advocated friendly development between China and Japan. After leaving politics, he actively promoted his self-created "East Asian Community" concept in many Chinese universities.

This time, his assessment of the current situation was:

Unconditional following of the United States is no longer feasible, and breaking with the United States is too unrealistic. Japan has only one path, which is to "enhance independence from the United States," that is, the so-called "de-dependence" often mentioned by the West.

Yukio Hatoyama believes that Trump is a difficult president to deal with, and it's impossible to reason with him. If you choose to confront Trump head-on, you will anger him, and then you will become the victim of bullying.

The current realistic issue is:

According to Japan's current national strength, it is almost unrealistic to confront the United States. It needs to cooperate with neighboring or global partner countries to gradually enhance Japan's independence.

After saying this, Hatoyama finally came to the point:

Even China needs to unite with Japan and South Korea to cope with the United States. Because although the United States is now weakened, its comprehensive national strength is still comparable to China. If China alone faces the United States, it is an "unwise move."

His words effectively "bind" the interests of China, Japan, and South Korea together, advocating that these three largest Asian economies and also global top-ranked countries must "cooperate" to deal with Trump's extortion efforts.

This brings us to South Korea, whose situation is not much better than Japan's.

Because when Trump imposed various tariffs on South Korea, the Yoon Suk Yeol who had an "one-sided" pro-American policy was still in detention, and now this mess has to be dealt with by Lee Jae-myung.

When Lee Jae-myung took office, there was only a month left until the deadline. The current South Korean government does not accept the U.S. 's exorbitant demands. In recent times, Lee Jae-myung stated that "negotiations with the United States are very difficult, and it is uncertain whether they can be completed before the 8th." Obviously, South Korea has also prepared for being taxed after the deadline.

This means that currently, China's situation is relatively better than that of Japan and South Korea.

Because we reached the "Geneva Statement" with the U.S. in May, and in June, we implemented the framework agreement in London. Trump temporarily cannot target China.

At this time, Hatoyama wants to bring China together with Japan and South Korea to jointly face the U.S. impact.

The actions of the former Japanese Prime Minister reflect the thoughts of many countries around the world facing Trump's "extortion" background, all wanting to get China involved to increase their leverage.

A large part of the reason is that China's tariff war with the U.S. in April directly made a name for itself.

At first, the U.S. suspended taxes on other countries, only imposing 145% on China, and foreign media bet that China would not be able to withstand it.

After all, China was the seller, and the U.S. was the buyer. Trump held the market, giving him the confidence to challenge China.

But the outcome was unexpected. The Chinese side's strong counterattack caused almost a decoupling of Sino-U.S. trade. Companies unable to purchase "Made in China" could not produce products, and companies lacking rare earth elements were like ants on a hot pan. Finally, the pressure forced Trump to the negotiating table.

U.S. media exposed that Trump's allies, donors, and lawmakers all demanded him to stop the tariff on China quickly. The pressure in the last few days even made him "lose sleep".

It is clear that after this, many countries completely changed their view of China, realizing that the U.S. indeed could not win against China in trade confrontation.

But now, facing Hatoyama's proposal, wanting China to join Japan and South Korea to counter the U.S., what should we do?

This matter requires careful consideration. One reason is that the relationship between the U.S. and Japan, South Korea has special characteristics. After all, the U.S. is their nominal驻军国 and protector, and its influence on their interests is much stronger than China's.

Even if Japan and South Korea are now dissatisfied with the U.S., it is difficult for them to decide to cut ties with the U.S.

The second reason is that Hatoyama's political views are not the mainstream in the Japanese political arena, and may not even gain South Korea's approval.

The third reason is that there are many "pro-American" people within these two countries. Even if they agree now, after an election, a new party might undo everything.

So, when facing the current situation of Japan and South Korea's differences with the U.S., it is best not to rashly step in to "take advantage," but to follow the country's foreign policy step by step.

References:

"Yukio Hatoyama: Theoretically, Japan has four paths to respond to Trump-style America, but only one is viable" Observers Network

"Trump threatens Japan: Spoiled, trade agreements will be canceled" Observers Network

"Lee Jae-myung: Negotiations with the U.S. are 'very difficult'" Xinhua News

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7523499798775824935/

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