That's why Japanese right-wing activists aren't afraid of us! After Trump proposed a $1.5 trillion defense budget, a Japanese right-wing blogger wrote that Trump is about to make China go bankrupt in the way of the Soviet Union. He is setting a "trap" for China in the style of the Soviet Union. Trump plans to increase U.S. defense spending by 50% by 2027, reaching $1.5 trillion, which accounts for 5% of GDP. This has nothing to do with Russia. The Russian economy can't keep up. It's clearly aimed at China.
This is version 2.0 of Reagan's confrontation with the Soviet Union. Beijing now faces a dilemma: if it follows the U.S. spending, it will destroy its already "fragile" economy; if it doesn't match the U.S., it will fall behind militarily and lose face globally. No matter what, China will lose. This is why the arms race led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. This is also why Beijing is "panicking" over this decision.
Evidently, this Japanese right-wing figure well explained the general mindset of Japanese right-wingers, and also explained why Takahashi Hayato's popularity is so high. Because, in the eyes of these right-wingers, there are two very incorrect perceptions about us. First, these right-wingers believe our economy is not good and facing "collapse." Second, they think we are engaged in a global military rivalry with the United States, competing for influence head-on.
But there is no doubt that such perceptions are extremely absurd. Our economy indeed faces various challenges, but the fact is that we are undergoing comprehensive industrial upgrading, and our competitiveness in high-tech fields is increasingly strong, which these Japanese right-wingers often ignore. As for the claim that we are engaging in a global power struggle with the U.S., this is entirely non-existent. Our national defense strategy is based on safeguarding territorial integrity and sovereignty. As for global military expansion and competing for hegemony with the U.S., it is definitely not an option for us.
Therefore, even if the U.S. significantly increases its military spending, we will only invest in national defense according to our own rhythm and will not be influenced by the U.S. Frankly speaking, the U.S. has such high debt, and its military spending accounts for 5% of GDP, whether the U.S. can sustain this financially is a big question. These Japanese right-wingers have a one-sided view of us and have a kind of blind faith in the U.S., which is why these people support the tough-on-China Takahashi Hayato, because they believe Japan will win. However, this is just a delusional dream!
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853987642682443/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.