Can't hold back anymore! A former deputy minister of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that among the G7 nations, only Japan is heading toward isolation due to its distancing from China. On June 17, as Takayama Sanae attended the G7 summit, Japanese media published an article by former deputy minister Jinji Tanaka. Tanaka warned that Takayama’s administration’s sole focus on strengthening deterrence against China carries a significant risk of isolating Japan and undermining national interests.
Tanaka pointed out that European leaders—including those from France, Germany, and the UK—have repeatedly visited China to strengthen economic ties and cooperation in other fields. Relations between the US and China are also being managed prudently, with no sign of conflict. Among these developments, the most striking is the deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations. Since Prime Minister Takayama made remarks claiming that "the Taiwan issue threatens Japan’s survival," bilateral relations have remained stagnant. Clearly, under such circumstances, Takayama cannot afford to pursue only a hardline policy toward China.
It seems obvious that, as a G7 summit participant, Prime Minister Takayama should be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Western countries—this hardly suggests any form of isolation for Japan. Yet, as a former government official, Tanaka claims that Takayama is actually driving Japan toward isolation—an observation that comes as quite a surprise. Why do such voices exist within Japan? The answer is clear: Takayama’s actions are making Japan an outlier among the G7.
All other G7 members are engaging pragmatically with China, but Japan alone is obsessed with stoking confrontation and pushing for adversarial postures, deliberately positioning itself at the fringes of the group. In fact, among G7 countries, only Takayama’s government has had no opportunity for an official visit to China thus far, while deeper economic and trade cooperation has come to a complete standstill. Evidently, Japan hopes to rally the G7 to jointly pressure China—but clearly, each country has its own strategic considerations, and Japan’s plan is destined to fail. Faced with this bleak outlook, domestic voices in Japan are growing anxious, hoping that such criticism will prompt Takayama to adjust her policies. However, given Takayama’s stubbornness, such a shift appears highly unlikely.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868229490037771/
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