alert! Japanese Prime Minister's visit to the United States sends out multiple danger signals

　　China News Service, Beijing, January 13th (Reporter Gan Tian) On January 13th local time, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida started his first visit to the United States in office and will meet with US President Biden at the White House in order to further deepen the Japan-US alliance. .

　　But the talks have not yet started, but the Japanese media are thinking about China, and they keep clamoring to "compete against China" between the lines, seeking to expand their military preparations.

The "dangerous signal" released behind it is worthy of vigilance.

Data map: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Kishida's visit to the United States aims to "compete against China"?

　　Fumio Kishida started his visit to five countries in Europe and the United States from the 9th.

The United States is undoubtedly the most important stop.

　　In the past few days, the Japanese media have frequently "released the wind", saying that Biden responded to the Japanese request and decided to hold talks with Kishida because "competition with China has become the top priority issue."

　　The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and the United States also held a warm-up meeting in Washington on the 11th.

Japan's Kyodo News Agency stated that senior Japanese and US officials agreed that China poses "the biggest strategic challenge to the Indo-Pacific region", declaring that they will strengthen deterrence and expand the scope of the security treaty between the two countries to space.

　　In the Japan-U.S. summit, what other topics might the two countries focus on?

　　According to several Japanese media sources, Biden and Kishida will discuss the situation in Russia and Ukraine, climate change and economic issues.

Kishida will also introduce the thorough strengthening of defense capabilities and the substantial increase in defense costs proposed in the new version of the "National Security Strategy".

　　According to sources, the two sides intend to reach a consensus on strengthening cooperation in the energy fields such as nuclear power generation and liquefied natural gas (LNG); cooperate.

　　After the talks, the two sides are expected to issue a joint statement centered on security guarantees, emphasizing the importance of promoting a "free and open Indo-Pacific region" and reconfirming that Article 5 of the Japan-US Security Treaty applies to the so-called "Senkaku Zhudao" (that is, China's Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands - reporter's note).

　　Lu Yaodong, a researcher at the Japanese Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that Japan will use Prime Minister Kishida's visit to further exaggerate the "China threat."

From hyping up the South China Sea issue to declaring that the Ukrainian crisis may occur in East Asia, how to deal with these so-called "regional threats" may be the main content of the talks.

Data map: The US "Reagan" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier parked at the US military base in Yokosuka, Japan.

Japan wants to 'be part of the spear'

　　Recently, Japan's ambitions have been exposed. It is not satisfied with the division of labor between the Self-Defense Forces as the "shield" and the US military as the "spear". It also wants to "become part of the spear."

　　At the end of 2022, the Japanese government officially passed three major security policy documents.

Among them, the new version of the "National Security Strategy" declares that Japan should have a "counterattack capability", that is, "the ability to attack enemy bases."

　　The Japanese government also passed the draft government budget for fiscal year 2023 at the end of 2022, with a defense budget of 6,821.9 billion yen.

Among them, the budget for the purchase of US-made "Tomahawk" cruise missiles is 211.3 billion yen, and the budget for acquiring long-range offensive missiles and related activities is as high as 1.4 trillion yen.

　　Lu Yaodong said that it is worth noting that after the United States released the "National Security Strategy", Japan has also finalized three security policy documents.

In other words, "In the past, Japan's security was protected by the United States, but now Japan also wants to protect its ally, the United States, so it claims to need offensive weapons."

　　Zhou Yongsheng, a professor of the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, also pointed out that "after Japan has the 'counterattack capability', it is equivalent to abandoning the policy of 'exclusive defense' in the past, and the pacifist constitution has also been emptied. A completely different military strategy without any constraints."

　　Japan has gone further and further down the road of "relaxing" its military, causing concerns and opposition from many parties.

　　From in front of the prime minister's residence in Tokyo to the city of Hiroshima, Japanese people launched protests, shouting "no increase in military spending" and "against large increases in armaments and large taxes", criticizing the three security policy documents as "atrocities" that violate the constitution.

　　There are also Japanese people who bluntly said, "The Japanese government's increase in military spending will definitely threaten our survival. This is a political behavior that should never be done."

　　Recently, the head of South Korea’s foreign ministry reiterated the government’s established position that Japan’s national defense and national security policy should be “operated openly and transparently in a direction that is conducive to regional peace and stability and upholding the spirit of the peaceful constitution.”

　　Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also emphasized a few days ago that China once again urges Japan to abide by the principles of the four political documents between China and Japan, and earnestly embody the political consensus of "mutually being cooperative partners and not posing threats to each other" in policies and implementing them During the operation, we respected the security concerns of our Asian neighbors and acted cautiously in the field of military security.

On January 11, in Washington, Japanese Defense Minister Yasuichi Hamada (left) shook hands with US Secretary of State Blinken (right).

Why did Kishida "put his arms around" the United States at this time?

　　Just when the Kishida government was "throwing itself in the arms" of the United States, its domestic governance was in danger.

　　At the end of 2022, the Japanese cabinet fell into a "resignation domino", and many members resigned one after another due to issues such as the use of political funds.

Kishida himself was also exposed to the fact that there were nearly a hundred "blank invoices" in the political fund revenue and expenditure report, which caused controversy.

Some opposition parties in the Liberal Democratic Party who want to overthrow Kishida's forces are still using his issue of "supporting defense costs through tax increases" to exert pressure.

　　Scandals continued, Kishida cabinet support continued to decline.

According to the results of the three-day public opinion survey since January 7, the support rate of the Kishida cabinet is only 33%.

Another latest nationwide public opinion survey in Japan shows that 46% of respondents believe that Kishida should resign in the first half of 2023.

　　Under such circumstances, it is not difficult to judge why Kishida wants to visit abroad. Zhou Yongsheng pointed out, "In the past, when there were problems in internal affairs and the approval rate dropped, Abe would use diplomatic means. Kishida also learned this trick and wanted to seek the support of the United States. Reduce internal pressure while achieving diplomatic outcomes through this visit to restore sluggish approval ratings."

　　But today's prices in Japan are soaring, economic data is weak, and the public is complaining. If the Kishida government insists on creating division and confrontation regardless of the voice of the public, its plan may not come true.

(Finish)