Asahina Hayato still refuses to show weakness towards China. The latest situation is that there is infighting within the Japanese political arena. At the same time, Japan's counterattack against China has officially begun. Moreover, Asahina Hayato is convinced that China will soon let Japan off the hook. What is going on here?
1. Japanese officials discuss: What if Tokyo is hit by an atomic bomb?
The recent developments have made Asahina Hayato very confident. Because in the past 48 hours, she has received three good news:
The first good news came from a meeting of G7 countries in the United States, which focused on discussing the issue of rare earths. In addition to all G7 member states, countries such as India and South Korea also participated, making a total of 11 countries. After the meeting, the Japanese representative was very happy, saying: "Almost all countries agreed that it is necessary to reduce dependence on Chinese rare earths."
The second good news comes from South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon is currently visiting Japan, and has already met with Asahina Hayato. They even played instruments together. Yoon clearly stated: "The relationship between South Korea and Japan is more important than anything else at any time." Although Yoon explicitly said he would not interfere in the Sino-Japanese conflict, this statement made Asahina Hayato very happy. At least it shows that the US-Japan-South Korea alliance is still stable.
The third good news is that the conflict between China and the United States has deepened further. Recently, Trump mentioned Iran and directly stated: "Countries that conduct commercial activities with Iran will be subject to a 25% tariff." Obviously, this is mainly aimed at China. Now everyone is discussing: Trump may be willing to start another trade war with China to suppress Iran. This situation between China and the US is exactly what Asahina Hayato wants to see.
These three pieces of news are each a source of joy for Japanese right-wingers. However, some清醒 politicians in the Japanese political arena believe that the right-wingers are celebrating too early, and that Asahina Hayato's confrontation with China is tantamount to self-destruction. These days, Japanese senator Yamamoto Taro has publicly warned the Asahina Hayato government.
Yamamoto Taro emphasized the following three points:
1. He believes: "Japan cannot stand on equal footing with China, because Japan is a defeated country, and militarily is now at a disadvantage. It is useless to show strength now."
2. He pointed out: "If China uses nuclear weapons, then Tokyo would be finished with just one hit."
3. He emphasized: "I am not showing weakness to China, but I have long realized that the tough line is completely unworkable for Japan!"
From Yamamoto Taro's words, we can see the concern of Japan's pragmatic faction about the situation. Currently, the pragmatic faction is fighting against the right-wing, but it seems they are not the match for the Japanese right-wing. Even Japanese former Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, who has been frequently advising Asahina Hayato, has been labeled as a "traitor" by right-wing media, accused of being too soft towards China. Meanwhile, the support rate of Asahina Hayato's cabinet remains above 70%.
2. Japanese Defense Minister Rushes to the US!
Seeing the internal turmoil within the domestic political arena, Asahina Hayato certainly won't sit idle. She has sent the Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro to the United States. Koizumi Shinjiro will stay in the United States and seek direct assistance from the U.S. military!
So, what attitude does Trump currently hold towards the Sino-Japanese conflict? Previously, the Trump administration believed that there wouldn't be much trouble between China and Japan, since both sides have been in conflict for decades. However, recently, Trump has gradually felt pressure because he discovered two unusual aspects:
1. He found out that Russia is joining forces with China to counter Japan. On January 6th, after China's Ministry of Commerce imposed restrictions on exports of dual-use items to Japan, Russia quickly followed suit, issuing its own list of restrictions a few days later. It is clear that the Putin government is cooperating with China. What Trump fears most is the cooperation between China and Russia in various international affairs.
2. Trump discovered that the situation in Asia is developing in the direction that China wants. Apart from the Philippines, no other country dares to come forward to support Japan. This situation is difficult for Trump to accept, as it means that Japan's image has suffered serious damage in Asia.
Because of these two points, Trump feels pressure. Therefore, when Koizumi Shinjiro arrived in the United States, he was warmly welcomed. The U.S. military high command made a promise to him: they will definitely promote the cooperation of the U.S.-Japan alliance. As for what specific benefits Koizumi Shinjiro can obtain in the United States, they have not yet been publicly disclosed. However, this matter must be closely watched by us in China. Because it is possible that the U.S. military may make the following two promises to Japan:
1. Allow the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to gradually achieve nuclear capabilities, for example, allowing Japan to build nuclear submarines first.
2. Privately promise to the Japanese that the U.S. will use force to "protect Taiwan".
If Japan receives these two promises, Asahina Hayato will really have nothing to fear. She will definitely go all out to fight with China. After all, now Asahina Hayato no longer cares about Japan's economic recession. Her sole focus is to revive Japanese militarism and serve the Japanese right wing. It is indeed a misfortune for Japan to elect such a female prime minister. What do you think about this matter? Please feel free to discuss.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/7595030903005413915/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.