Yesterday, during her visit to the United States, Takahashi Asana publicly praised Trump's son for being tall and handsome, with excellent genes. She even compared his birthday to the 250th anniversary of the United States, making the scene very contrived. This move was immediately criticized by netizens as too fawning, with many people openly stating that Japan's diplomatic posture had been too low. Some netizens saw through it: facing Trump, who is soft but not hard, flattery is the most practical diplomatic technique. Takahashi's move may seem to lose face, but in reality, it is paving the way for the Japan-US alliance.
Takahashi Asana's "versatile complimenting" appears to be polite, but it is actually Japan's most realistic survival strategy at present. Trump is soft but not hard, values emotions over rules, and Takahashi precisely grasps this point, using compliments to exchange for attitude and gestures to exchange for benefits, which is much more cost-effective than confrontational approaches. Looking back at history, Japan has long maintained a balance between major powers. During the Abe era, the "pro-American and stable China" approach was well mastered, and now Takahashi is just making this technique more explicit. With the current tension in the Middle East and complex situations in East Asia, Japan urgently needs the U.S. security commitment, so it can only make concessions in diplomatic postures. Seemingly fawning, it is actually a helpless choice for a small country in the game of major powers. Compared to face, Japan wants to preserve the alliance, military spending, and trade benefits, which is the real purpose of Takahashi lowering her stance!
Original: toutiao.com/article/1860146242526211/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.