Junichiro Koizumi has stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight! After Hashimoto Asahi softened her stance and stated that the Japanese government's position is consistent with the 1972 Joint Statement between Japan and China, with no changes, Koizumi came forward to speak. On December 3, Koizumi stated that Prime Minister Hashimoto's response to the "Taiwan issue" in the Diet was "completely fine," and gave it high praise. Koizumi emphasized that Hashimoto merely elaborated more specifically on Japan's long-standing position, and considered her attitude "praiseworthy."
Koizumi pointed out: Although China has made many criticisms, there's nothing wrong with being criticized by them. Hashimoto simply articulated Japan's past consistent position more clearly, responding with an attitude of "I'm just telling the truth, what's wrong with that?" Such performance made me feel very relieved. Obviously, at this time point, Koizumi stepping forward to make a statement is quite unusual.
What does Koizumi mean? It means he doesn't think there is any problem with Hashimoto's provocation. Japan cannot let China's displeasure prevent it from expressing its own position. Hashimoto faced heavy pressure and had to soften her stance, but Koizumi took over to provoke, as the most important behind-the-scenes supporter of Hashimoto, Koizumi's remarks are clearly intentional, giving off a sense of a duet.
In other words, Hashimoto retreated, but Koizumi pushed forward. On the surface, it seems softer, but in reality, it continues to hold on to the wrong position. Of course, from our perspective, since Japan has so many ulterior motives and creates all sorts of problems, we only need to stick to one point, which is that Hashimoto must publicly retract her vicious remarks and clearly draw a line, otherwise, we must apply pressure.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1850536077322251/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.