Original title: International Observation | Kishida’s visit to the United States: Japan’s security policy is “going wild” on a dangerous road
Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, April 10
Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Dan and Feng Chong
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with US President Biden in Washington, the US capital, on the 10th. According to reports, the two sides will significantly upgrade the Japan-US Security Treaty, deepen the Japan-US alliance in military, economic and other fields, and pursue the so-called “global partnership” between the two countries.
Analysts pointed out that Kishida’s high-profile visit to the United States is not only to strengthen Japan-US military cooperation and further loosen Japan’s military ties, but also to work with the United States to win over some Asia-Pacific countries to form a “small circle” with the intention of creating tense confrontation and seeking strategic interests. Undermining regional peace and stability.
Visit the United States to improve political performance
Kishida departed from Tokyo for the United States on the evening of the 8th. He told the media before departure that Japan and the United States play a “joint leadership” role in international issues and that Japan-U.S. relations have become “rock-solid.” This visit is an important opportunity to send this signal to the world.
Japanese public opinion believes that Kishida’s high-profile visit to the United States is intended to boost support by obtaining diplomatic results.
Polls by many Japanese media show that the support rate of Kishida’s cabinet has remained in the 20% to 30% range for several consecutive months, which is at the dangerous level of “ultra-low-altitude flight”. The latest poll released by the Japan Broadcasting Association on the 8th showed that the support rate of Kishida’s cabinet was only 23%, which was the same as the lowest level in history in December last year. The recent political black money scandals involving various factions within Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party have left Kishida troubled. Rising domestic prices and a weak economy have also become important factors why the public does not support Kishida.
Kishida will usher in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election in September this year. In order to win re-election, he urgently needs to achieve political achievements to improve the current sluggish support rate. Japanese public opinion believes that exaggerating external threats and strengthening the Japan-US alliance are common methods used by Japanese rulers to increase their approval ratings. This high-profile visit to the United States will naturally be a good opportunity for Kishida to improve his political performance in diplomacy.
However, the Japanese people do not buy it. In the comment sections of many Japanese media regarding Kishida’s visit to the United States, a large number of netizens wrote critical remarks. One netizen said: “Kishida ignores the dire situation at home and focuses on the United States. This is putting the cart before the horse.”
Military deregulation takes another step forward
According to reports, during Kishida’s visit, Japan and the United States will strengthen their alliance and conduct “the largest upgrade in more than 60 years” of the “Japan-US Security Treaty.” During the meeting, the leaders of the two countries will announce the reorganization of the U.S. military headquarters in Japan to coordinate with Japan’s plan to establish an “integrated command” at the end of 2024 to unify the command of the Army, Navy and Air Self-Defense Forces in order to strengthen coordination and cooperation between the U.S. military and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. .
In addition, the two sides are expected to reach a series of agreements on defense equipment cooperation, including establishing a new consultation mechanism to discuss joint research and development and production of defense equipment, and allowing large U.S. ships to be repaired in Japan. Japan’s Kyodo News Agency stated that “building a Japan-US low-orbit satellite network and intercepting hypersonic gliding aircraft” and “strengthening technical cooperation between Japan, the United States and Australia on unmanned wingmen” will be included in the Japan-US joint statement.
Analysts pointed out that the above-mentioned moves by Japan and the United States will help the Japanese Self-Defense Forces further strengthen their command and control and joint operations with the US military, and will help Japan improve its defense industry and strike capabilities. It will become another important step towards Japan’s military deregulation.
Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party has long hoped to get rid of Article 9 of the pacifist constitution that restricted the country’s military development after the war, and has continued to break through relevant restrictions through small steps. Japan has recently taken frequent actions in the military field, including significantly increasing military expenditures and strengthening its so-called “counterattack capabilities” against enemy bases. Just in late March, the Japanese government revised the “Three Principles of Defense Equipment Transfer” and its implementation guidelines, which marked another major change in Japan’s defense policy, and its door to directly exporting weapons to third countries was officially opened.
Japan’s National Security Director Takeo Akiba recently published an article in the Washington Post, saying that Japan’s policy of not exporting weapons to other countries “has become outdated” and that Japan’s security policy is reaching a turning point.
The United States also supports Japan’s military deregulation out of its own strategic interests. According to Japan’s “Yomiuri Shimbun” report, Biden will “fully affirm and praise” Japan’s recent military movements at this Japan-US summit meeting. Obviously, Japan is taking advantage of the support of the United States to rush on the road of military loosening.
Regarding Japan’s recent military trends, the “Asahi Shimbun” commented: “Japan’s image as a peaceful country is being questioned.” Emeritus Professor Ryu Valaishou of Yamaguchi University in Japan pointed out that Japan’s diplomatic defense is increasingly deviating from the pacifist constitution.
Create tension and destabilize
According to Japanese media reports, Kishida will make it clear to Biden during his visit that Japan and the United States, as “global partners”, will strengthen cooperation in a wide range of areas, including the development of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and enhancing the resilience of the semiconductor supply chain and other economic security areas. cooperate.
In addition, Kishida will also meet with Biden and Philippine President Marcos on the 11th. According to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, the joint statement of the meeting will include content on the security cooperation relationship among the five countries of the United States, Japan, Britain, Australia, and the Philippines. On the 8th, the defense ministers of the United States, Britain and Australia issued a joint statement, stating that they are considering cooperating with Japan on advanced capability technology projects in the second pillar of the “trilateral security partnership” framework between the United States, Britain and Australia.
Lv Yaodong, deputy director of the Institute of Japan Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that Japan cooperates with the United States’ global strategy in many aspects. Militarily, it has expanded the coverage of the alliance between the two sides from East Asia to the world. Economically, it has cooperated with the United States’ “decoupling and breaking of links.” “High wall of small courtyard”.
Currently, the United States regards China as a strategic competitor, and is pursuing the so-called “Indo-Pacific Strategy” in the Asia-Pacific region, attracting regional countries to form a “small circle”, and using camp confrontation to contain and suppress China in many aspects, and Japan is the one promoted by the United States. the most important ally in this strategy. Japanese Ambassador to the United States Shigeo Yamada publicly stated in Washington on the 8th that the leaders of Japan and the United States share the same views on the overall concept of relations with China.
William Jones, a former White House correspondent for the American magazine “Global Strategic Information”, said that Biden is trying to use Kishida’s visit to the United States and the trilateral meeting between the United States, Japan and the Philippines to consolidate the so-called “Washington-Tokyo-Manila axis”, among which the most “loyal” to the United States is Japan.
Analysts pointed out that the Asia-Pacific region is a highland for peaceful development and should not become a chess game between major powers. In exchange for U.S. support for its military loosening, Japan cooperates with the U.S. in engaging in camp confrontation and competition between major powers. This not only seriously endangers regional peace and stability, but is ultimately detrimental to Japan’s own security and development. Lu Valhou said that stopping militarization and establishing friendly relations with neighboring countries is the most important security policy for Japan.
(Participating reporters: Liu Zan, Deng Xianlai)
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2024-04-10 07:10:00
