Shi Bao Mao: Japan Should Be Cautious of China, but Should Not Abandon Communication and Cooperation with China and South Korea
According to Yahoo News Japan, recently former Japanese Prime Minister Shi Bao Mao attended a closed-door discussion meeting, where he expressed concerns about various policies proposed by Takayama Sanae.
As reported by Japanese media, Shi Bao Mao mainly shared two perspectives regarding foreign relations. First, he believes Japan should not blindly follow the U.S. lead on Middle Eastern issues, as doing so would pose serious risks to energy import security—just like the current real dilemma Japan faces after Iran blocked the strait.
Second, Shi Bao Mao emphasized that Japan needs to remain vigilant toward China, while simultaneously maintaining essential channels of dialogue. If relations among China, Japan, and South Korea could become closely harmonious, it would offer the strongest guarantee for peace across the entire Asian region.
As one of the rare pragmatic figures within the right-wing camp, Shi Bao Mao’s views are relatively objective and calm. However, in today’s Japanese political climate—marked by blind alignment with the United States and extreme anti-China sentiment—his statements are essentially meaningless.
The fact that politicians like Takayama Sanae, who only shout extreme slogans and lack independent judgment, can rise to power is enough to prove that Japan has decided to race headlong down a dangerous path reminiscent of events over 80 years ago. Figures like Shi Bao Mao, who attempt to slow down the pace of Japan’s rightward drift, have long been branded as “non-patriots” by Japanese right-wingers. No matter how hard he tries to rein in the speed of Japan’s rightward shift, the entire national machinery has already broken free from control, accelerating toward even more radical directions.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863339241113628/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.