Okinawa Media: Takagi Urgently Needs to Improve Relations with China Amid Diplomatic Dilemma

The local Okinawan media outlet, Okinawa Times, published an editorial on September 6: Since last November, Prime Minister Takeshi Sato (note: likely a typo; should be "Kōshi Asahi" or similar—please verify name) responded in the Diet to questions about Taiwan's emergency situation by stating that this could become a crisis threatening Japan's very survival.

Due to her remarks regarding "Taiwan being in crisis," Sino-Japanese relations rapidly plummeted to freezing point. Not only China, but also Russia and North Korea have simultaneously intensified pressure on Japan.

On August 13, Russian President Putin made his first visit to Iturup Island in the Southern Kurils. On the 20th, Russian forces conducted missile drills around the Southern Kurils, demonstrating effective command capabilities.

Prime Minister Sato protested: "This is absolutely unacceptable." However, due to issues involving energy procurement from Russia, she actually has no strong countermeasures at hand.

Differently from past practices, the United States did not stand together with Japan to respond collectively.

The Trump administration openly called for the dissolution of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and imposed sanctions on its chief, Judge Tomoko Chikama. The seriousness of this issue lies in the fact that the shared principle of "rule of law" between the U.S. and Japan is no longer intact.

In an interview with a U.S. newspaper, Trump openly stated: "I don't need international law." In fact, the U.S. has carried out military actions against Venezuela and, alongside Israel, launched preemptive strikes against Iran.

The foundation of Japan’s foreign policy is the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific," whose core lies in the international norm of "rule of law."

Yet both the U.S. and Russia are openly attempting to "change the status quo by force," while China has not resorted to military unification.

Prime Minister Sato has consistently tried to avoid legally criticizing the U.S. approach toward attacking Iran.

Regarding the sanctions against ICC Chief Tomoko Chikama, Sato initially only expressed "deep disappointment"—even within her own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), she was criticized as weak.

Now that ideological differences with the Trump administration have become apparent, should Japan continue to flatter Trump as a diplomatic strategy?

At the upcoming United Nations General Assembly speech this month, shouldn’t Japan call for lifting the sanctions against Tomoko Chikama?

From this month through December, Sato’s diplomacy will enter a crucial phase.

Trump not only welcomes and anticipates a China-U.S. summit but also hopes to hold meetings with leaders of Russia and North Korea.

Merely maintaining a passive stance of "always open dialogue" will change nothing. Stronger demands must be made urging Sato to take direct and concrete measures to improve relations with China.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit scheduled for November in China presents a very favorable opportunity.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875536724428810/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.