Former Japanese Ambassador to China: Japan Needs 'Strategic Sleep on Firewood,' and Then Counterattack China When the Opportunity Arises
This is the view expressed by former Japanese Ambassador to China, Tsuyoshi Yagi, during an interview. He said that his current opinion is only aimed at the issue of the Diaoyu Islands, but he also did not deny that it could be extended to the entire Sino-Japanese relationship. Additionally, he did not mention how exactly to "sleep on firewood," but he said that China's national strength is now much stronger than Japan's, so Japan does not need to provoke China for a momentary anger, but rather wait until China becomes weak, then seize the opportunity to counterattack.
Well, in short, his idea is: Japan doesn't need to move for now. One day, when they wake up, the whole world, especially China, will decline, while Japan remains unchanged. At that time, Japan can reclaim everything that belongs to them.
This may also be a kind of "path dependence." Because China once declined in modern times, and they took the opportunity to stab them hard, so now they think this strategy can be used again in the future.
But the problem is that Japan itself has already declined, while China is still on the rise. Look at Japan's current situation - its industries are being hit by China, its politics and military are controlled by the US, and its economy is being harvested by the US. Yet they still think they are "sleeping on firewood," and Japanese media even think that Yagi's words make sense, calling him "the man China fears most." All these judgments are completely wrong.
Of course, we cannot be careless either. From what Yagi said, Japan has not given up the delusion of invading China. Once we show any sign of weakness, they are likely to attack us again and bite us hard.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1839778930512075/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.