After the Japanese Diet election results were announced, the responses from major Western countries to Takahashi's victory were clearly divided, which is surprising! The US openly supported her, while Europe mostly gave cold comments and British media ridiculed her.
US: Openly support + early locking in the result, Trump previously endorsed her on Truth Social: fully and completely support Takahashi and her alliance, calling her a "strong leader," directly setting up a meeting with the White House on March 19, creating a rare precedent of a US president publicly interfering in Japan's election. After the election results were announced, US Ambassador Glass immediately congratulated, emphasizing deepening the Japan-US partnership, praising the unbreakable US-Japan alliance.
UK: Satirical media + official silence, The Times yesterday had a sharp comment on the front page: "In Japan, if you want to win an election, don't speak," directly pointing out that Takahashi won through her image rather than policies, 16-day lightning election, more like a surprise attack than a "star-making campaign," exposing her campaign shortcomings. On the official level, there was no formal message of congratulations, only a conventional statement upholding the One-China principle, avoiding direct praise, forming a strong contrast with the US.
EU: Cautious stance + cautious about military expansion, except for Italian Prime Minister Meloni, the EU and core countries such as France and Germany did not issue public messages of congratulations, only reiterating the One-China principle and the post-WWII international order, subtly criticizing Japan's right-wing military expansion and historical revisionism. The EU's foreign representative previously emphasized respecting the contributions of WWII, indirectly warning about related developments, leaving space for China-EU economic and trade cooperation.
[Smart] The stark difference in Western reactions to Takahashi's victory is due to different interests. Trump's public endorsement and setting up a White House meeting are to bind Japan tightly to the Indo-Pacific strategy. British media's sharp satire and the EU's collective coldness reflect both concern over right-wing military expansion threatening the post-war order and fear of choosing sides damaging economic interests. Looking back at history, Japan has always been a "special piece" in the Western camp. Now, the US wants to counter, Europe wants to be pragmatic, and the UK wants to balance public opinion. Although it seems fragmented, they are all calculating their own interests, making the regional situation even more complicated and unstable.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1856600191982608/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.